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ceriene 's review for:
Let Us Descend
by Jesmyn Ward
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Let Us Descend was an incredible book, beautifully written, and devastating in its subject matter.
"I want. I want to grow my hair long, to find food and feed myself without hiding, to sit in the sunlight and scratch the worry out of my scalp, to breathe without fear and terror choking me, to choose my seconds, to choose my minutes, to choose my days. I done suffered enough."
This character-driven novel follows Annis, an enslaved girl who is sold by the white man who sired her and forced to make a brutal journey down to New Orleans to be sold again. Her only comforts are the stories her mother told her of her grandmother and their history, which opens a door to a world of spirits that reside in the world around her. There is so much here: love; loss; injustice; rage; and the ache of pining for what the world takes from you, and will keep taking.
This blend of magical realism and historical fiction had me hanging on to every word. Jesmyn Ward's prose is also simply stunning and I look forward to reading her other work.
"I want. I want to grow my hair long, to find food and feed myself without hiding, to sit in the sunlight and scratch the worry out of my scalp, to breathe without fear and terror choking me, to choose my seconds, to choose my minutes, to choose my days. I done suffered enough."
This character-driven novel follows Annis, an enslaved girl who is sold by the white man who sired her and forced to make a brutal journey down to New Orleans to be sold again. Her only comforts are the stories her mother told her of her grandmother and their history, which opens a door to a world of spirits that reside in the world around her. There is so much here: love; loss; injustice; rage; and the ache of pining for what the world takes from you, and will keep taking.
This blend of magical realism and historical fiction had me hanging on to every word. Jesmyn Ward's prose is also simply stunning and I look forward to reading her other work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Torture, Trafficking
Moderate: Death, Racism
Minor: Sexual assault