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A review by introvertsbookclub
Night Wherever We Go by Tracey Rose Peyton
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.25
This is a really heavy subject but the writer’s perspective and style prevent it from feeling like a ‘trauma dump’. The enslaved women’s voices and stories were each distinct, and their desires and priorities remained unique despite shared experiences and fears.
One of the best parts of this novel, was that the white women were not just portrayed as complicit bystanders, instead they were explicitly and actively involved in the business of slavery and the mistreatment of enslaved people. The author did an incredible job creating a white woman who could critique sexism’s impact on her life (specifically the expectation that she keep birthing children), and yet did not carry her critiques through to her treatment of enslaved women, instead perpetuating the same sexism with the addition of racism in all her interactions with the women.
As much as the novel focused on the abuse of enslaved people as ‘breeders’, in contrast with motherhood, the women were not reduced to this storyline alone. Their belief systems and inherited cultures were a really interesting part of the story, as was the shifting relationships between them.
This novel was honest about the reality of slavery, but it was purposeful and carefully told.
One of the best parts of this novel, was that the white women were not just portrayed as complicit bystanders, instead they were explicitly and actively involved in the business of slavery and the mistreatment of enslaved people. The author did an incredible job creating a white woman who could critique sexism’s impact on her life (specifically the expectation that she keep birthing children), and yet did not carry her critiques through to her treatment of enslaved women, instead perpetuating the same sexism with the addition of racism in all her interactions with the women.
As much as the novel focused on the abuse of enslaved people as ‘breeders’, in contrast with motherhood, the women were not reduced to this storyline alone. Their belief systems and inherited cultures were a really interesting part of the story, as was the shifting relationships between them.
This novel was honest about the reality of slavery, but it was purposeful and carefully told.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Slavery
Moderate: Rape