The Perishing takes on the history of the African American experience through the lens of a narrator who is immortal and experiences a wide swath of American history. This novel takes on a lot with the wide range of history, a Sci-Fi frame and a late plot twist to unravel.

I received a temporary digital advanced copy of The Perishing by Natashia Deon from NetGalley, Counterpoint LLC, and the author in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Waking up in an alley, Lou, not only has no memory of how she got into the alley, but no memory of who she is. It is 1930 and with the help of the LAPD, Lou is placed into foster care. She slowly realizes she is different; a cut immediately heals itself, a tattoo disappears, these unexplainable occurrences has Lou questioning even more who she is and where she is from. With the help of friends, Lou begins to put together the pieces of her lifetimes--as she is immortal--what that means and how she must stay safe from those trying to take away all she has.

The majority of The Perishing is historical fiction and highlights extremely interesting stories of struggles faced by Native Americans, Blacks, Mexicans, and Chinese in the LA region during its settlement and growth in the mid-to-late 1800s and early 1900s. Lou's stories are mixed in with those from a future Lou, Sarah. Sarah's stories mostly provide context and/or explanation for Lou's experiences.

Overall, I enjoyed The Perishing as I love reading historical fiction. I felt as if the immortal side of the story was not much of a focus until the end, and would have loved for it to have more of a place throughout Lou's stories.

The Perishing was a beautifully written, unique story. The alternating perspectives and various voices worked together well, giving the reader a wide range of outlooks.
This was a slow start for me, as we are tossed into the thick of the story and have to figure out what is going on. I found myself frustrated because I wasn't 100% sure what was happening. There was A LOT going on in this book and I did struggle keeping track of everything. I would have like less elements explored more in depth. That being said, once I got my bearings I really enjoyed the prose of this story.
I am looking forward to whatever Deon does next! Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Counterpoint Publishing for the ARC in return of an honest review.

The writing in The Perishing was absolutely beautiful. Natashia Deón has a beautiful way with prose that was at times melodic in my inner voice. The sections of the book that were narrated by the future consciousness were so deeply philosophical, yet captured the mind with beautiful imagery.

The journey that Lou takes is one through a short, but rich period of U.S., but more specifically California history. Having been raised in that same area, there were events of which I was unaware. The tragedy of the St. Francis damn and the killing of Latasha Harlins are both events not addressed in schools, nor in my home. For that, I am grateful to this book for bringing light to stories that have not been shared enough.

Coming in and out of time with the consciousness of the narrator was fascinating, but at times confusing. Sometimes Sarah would give context for her monologues, but others, the reader is left trying to find the relevance of her thoughts and the time from which she is speaking.

I feel I would be more inclined to give this book a higher rating if I had read it without having read the cover description first.

I came to this book looking for a sci-fi book with a Black heroine based in 1930. I ended up with a philosophical historical fiction delving into cultural injustice deeply ingrained in our society with a sprinkle of sci-fi in a couple of places. The sci-fi elements in this book are cool, and original, but not enough was done with that plot line for it to be worth it. In fact, I never figured out how she was supposed to save the world 😕.

If I could read this book without the sci-fi sprinkles, the last minute 'villain', and a more aligned narrator, I would easily give this a 5.

If I could read this book with the last 5% earlier in the book , like around 40% and continue exploring that angle with the historical influence. Again, easy 5.

As it is, as a sci-fi book I'd give it a 1. As a historical fiction book, 4.5 it left me feeling these characters in my spirit.

The Perishing by Natashia Deón

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