How could this possibly be a debut novel? Tracey Rose Peyton brings a book about enslaved women in Texas to a level that approaches Morrison’s Beloved in theme, women’s agency, and emotional heft. Six women are the core of the Lucy family’s failing plantation. They are all they have: in bad times and worse times. They can be both suspicious and supportive of each other – but recognize the common core of their sufferings. Peyton individualizes the women with back stories and their impossible dreams and yearnings.

When the Lucy family seeks to increase their dwindling wealth (rooted in their enslaved women), they bring a stockman to impregnate/breed these women. Using a root that is believed to stave off pregnancy, the women band together to prevent any child from being born. If their rebellious act is discovered, it would further jeopardize all of them.

Reading this book is like watching an approaching storm. Tension builds on several fronts that add to the expectation of some dreaded event that will forever charge and change things. When it comes this reader was unprepared, stunned and hollowed out. This is a hard and necessary book that compels all to revisit a difficult past, honor unknown ancestors and always, always teach and remember. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this title.

The story and concept is a solid 5 stars. I learned so much and loved hearing this part of slave history I had never really considered before.

My complaint is with the execution. The stories moved between characters in a way that made it hard to tell whose story it was. Most of the chapters were told in third person until randomly some chapters would be in the first person plural, using “we”. It was jarring.

Overall I am so glad I read this, it gave me so much to think about! I’d give it a 3.5. Thank you to net galley for the advanced copy!

NIght Wherever We Go
by Tracey Rose Peyton
Pub Date: January 3, 2023
Ecco
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this gripping story. The author delivers a great work of historical and literary fiction with this one.
Slavery is never an easy topic to discuss, and this book follows six enslaved women, living on a farm in Texas, in the years leading up to the Civil War.
A gripping, radically intimate debut novel about a group of enslaved women staging a covert rebellion against their owners the Harlow's who try to "breed" these women with "Stockman" who they bring in like cattle in a yard. The women work together to claim control over their bodies and lives.
Disturbing. You won't forget this one. Read it!

Because many reviewer‘s better than have given a great summary for this book I will just say this book was not like I thought it was going to be not to say it wasn’t as good as I thought it was going to be but I really had the impression this is going to be a sweet revenge story and in the end I guess they have the grease of that but ultimately the ugly prevailed. If you love historical fiction and can stomach such atrocities as using women for breeding purposes then you should read this book but saying that that is all the protest is the dirt poor angry white former using black women is chattel is not doing the book justice although I would definitely recommend this book to historical fiction fans just know what you’re getting into this is written at a time where African-Americans were viewed as property and not people there’s something just a little worse about the subject matter in this book but I’ve read it and enjoyed it or at least enjoyable parts I enjoyed and I do recommend the book I received it from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review. .

It is not this book's fault, but I am really fired up about women being looked at as only baby makers. In some of the books I have read and with the current political environment, I am just angry! Add to that the lack of self governance felt by these enslaved women and you have a strong foundation for a book that is going to raise my blood pressure! But these women found ways to fight the oppression. Sometimes they were successful and sometimes they weren't. Each turn was an emotional one for both the characters and me. Near the end, I felt the story got a little sidetracked, but it still all made for an engaging read where you are cheering for (some of) the characters.

This book is a must read. Magic happens when the author juxtaposes her beautiful, lyrical writing with the ugliness and pure evil of slavery. The six women slaves want control over their bodies. Each women gets to tell her story in such a unique way. They are real and human and you get to see their goodness and their flaws. I couldn’t help but smile when they found joy (and revenge) and I was angry (and tearful) when they were hurt. This book is excellent literary & historical fiction.

Riveting—-a deeply moving contemplation of the institution of slavery in all of its wretched odiousness, and of the ways in which its victims strove to persevere.

What a heartbreaking and beautiful novel, albeit about a tough subject. Tracey Rose Peyton's novel, Night Wherever We Go, focuses on a group of enslaved women on a struggling Texas plantation. Their owners are looking to increase their own prosperity by forcing these women to become pregnant... but the women rebel and fight back in the only way they can - using their wits and herbs/plants available to them to prevent pregnancy. It is horribly hard reading about the struggles these women endured, struggles that unfortunately are not just fiction but were reality to many enslaved women across history.

Though all the characters are not textbook likable, they all are so real and endearing. The writing is strong and I was drawn into these women's struggles and humanity like no other book about slavery I've read before. I highly reccomend this novel. It would be a great book club pick. And the ending? Be prepared. It is raw and real and not what you hoped for... but honestly, exactly what this book needed. I can't wait to read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

Wow. I can't remember the last time I've ever been so emotionally destroyed by a book. Night Wherever We Go is a powerful, searing novel that follows the lives of several enslaved women in Texas as they navigate what it means to be a woman at the mercy of their enslavers, both male and female. Tracey Rose Peyton's talent is a writer is incredible. The way she establishes each of the characters, shows their complexities and development as the novel progresses, and weaves the plot all together is a testament to her writing skill. The novel is lyrical, poetic, and just all-consuming in the way it draws the reader into the lives of these women. And the ending? I won't give any spoilers away, but I don't know if I've ever been so thoroughly gutted by the ending of a book before. Absolutely DESTROYED me. I highly recommend this book and can't wait to dive into more of this author's work.

First of all, I was really excited to read this book. The synopsis sounded right up my alley. Historical Fiction? Check. Female main characters who fight back against oppression? Check.

Unfortunately, this just didn't deliver for me. The first 20% or so I read in an evening. When I went to pick it up again the next day, I just could not get back into it. I had for force myself to read it over the next 2 weeks. It should only have taken me 2 days.

There's just no obvious main character. The book is written primarily in the third person. However, randomly there are a few paragraphs sprinkled in that switch to first person plural. So who's narrating?

Each chapter focuses on several of the characters lives, but never for long enough to ever get to know any of them. There's just too many of them to keep track of and they are just too similar in personality.

The last chapter was clunky. The last few paragraphs were almost maddening. The story of how those two characters got to that point would have been much more interesting.

Overall: ☆☆☆☆ ☆(4.6)
Writing style: ☆☆☆☆☆
Entertainment ☆☆☆☆☆
Characters ☆☆☆☆☆
Plot: ☆☆☆☆
Ending:☆☆☆☆

First and foremost, I would love to thank Net-Galley, the author, and publishers for allowing me the opportunity to obtain an ARC copy of this novel for my honest opinion and review.

Immediately from reading the synopsis i knew there was such an opportunity for a real, raw, and powerful novel. And Tracey Rose Peyton fulfills on all those aspects!

On a struggling Texas plantation, six enslaved women slip from their sleeping quarters and gather in the woods under the cover of night. The Lucys—as they call the plantation owners, after Lucifer himself—have decided to turn around the farm’s bleak financial prospects by making the women bear children. They have hired a “stockman” to impregnate them. But the women are determined to protect themselves.

Tracey paints a picture of six women enduring their own trials as well as this shared tribulation.

Each character is beautifully developed, in which you feel you know them and empathize with their struggles.

Not to mention, the ending was shocking in some aspects and resolute in others.

Tracey painted a picture of the life of slavery and the faith that women such as Nan, Serah, Patience, Junie, Lulu, and Alice had to have to endure and persevere.

As an avid BOTM reader, I hope this will be a January pick. Otherwise, I will certainly be adding a physical copy to my collection of novels.

A group of enslaved women in Texas bands together to protect themselves from increasing their owner's wealth through forced pregnancy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the book’s publisher, Harper Collins Publishers, for an advanced reader’s copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I’m very grateful for this copy. I thoroughly loved the author’s writing style and the story. I highly recommend this book!

This is not a typical book about slavery. The focus of the story is around a group of women who are trying to survive slavery. The reader is provided excellent details for each character and the trials they encounter. The women’s owners are referred to as Lucys (short for Lucifers). Mr. Lucy is continuously attempting to grow his wealth and wants his slaves to procreate. The women’s wisdom and camaraderie are prevalent. The author does a great job in developing each character, relationships, and situations. You can’t help but want the slaves to outwit the Lucys!

This is an unforgettable novel about an aspect of American slavery that is often ignored, the use of enslaved women as incubators for more enslaved people. Told in first-person plural, it lets us into the thoughts and fears and desires and strategies of a group of enslaved women whose owners push them into forced pregnancy and childbirth. This is an important novel, as strong as anything by Toni Morrison, and just as shattering. It's a work that is also particularly resonant today, as girls as young as 10 are being forced to carry and deliver their rapists' children. I want everyone to read this book, I want it in the schools, I want it taught in colleges, I want book groups to read it, I want it to be one of those city-wide reads, everything.

We are emotionally destroyed. We had to wait quite awhile for the tears to stop so that we could write a raw review.

This book was a heart-wrenchingly devastating, beautifully written account of slavery in 1800s Texas right on the verge of the Emancipation Proclamation. The story follows both the enslaved and the enslavers, painting an ugly and all-too-real picture of what life was like then.

We grew to love each of the women: Alice, Junie, Serah, Nan, and Lulu. Our pulse raced with theirs, our heart broke alongside theirs. We delighted in their happy moments and ached to protect them in their hardest.

Tracey Rose Peyton is a genius with her words. This book is easily six stars for us- surpassing everything we’ve read so far this year. It reminds us that though we have come so far from where this book takes place, we have so much work left to do. Though slavery is not, racism is alive and well in this country. We can honor all of the Lulu’s, Nan’s, Junie’s, Alice’s, and Serah’s of the past by actively working to dismantle the systems of oppression that continue to harm marginalized communities.

Our country is still very much rooted in racism and white supremacy. Let’s fuck it up.

Our rating: 6 ⭐️

A beautiful debut that touches on difficult subject material and sheds light on perspectives not usually seen. It was a much different angle than I’ve read before and I learned a lot, and I also felt a lot. A very impactful book.

This book is a lot to digest. Peyton takes us on a journey of damned if you do, damned if you don’t. The story that was told was different from anything I’ve ever read. A story that often goes untold. Unlike most stories I’ve read it’s less about escaping and more about surviving. Under the thumb of their master(s) these women devise a plan just to make life more livable. The state of consciousness and unconsciousness was so thin in this. To make things more bearable often times the women would think back to their families they had to leave behind. To the point where they would constantly have bouts of dizziness and haziness. There were so many things I didn’t know previously like slave holders bringing in breeders to force children upon the plantation. Or how a wet nurse really worked. There was so many new things to learn in every chapter of this book.

The name of the game is money and these owners don’t have a lot of it which is quite different of story than what’s usually told. A plantation of 10 slaves is not common in popular stories usually it’s way more so in a way this story is way more intimate than one would think. Each slave has their point of view told and even the slave owners pov is told as well. This was unique story and I appreciate the authenticity and the author creativity.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco books for the e-ARC.

Tracey Rose Peyton tells a story about six enslaved women on the Lucy plantation. Here we witness the sheer will and determination these women will have to endure to maintain even an ounce of their self-dignity to themselves. In Night Wherever We Go, we will see that A. You are only as strong as you allow yourself to be, and B. There is never such a thing as "LIKE A SISTER" between "SLAVE (property) and "ENSLAVER (owner)."
Let us begin, shall we?
The Novel starts with Lizzie and Charles, aka Harlow Lucy fleeing Liberty County, Georgia, due to owing taxes. Harlow feels the 30 acres of land are worthless and only has three enslaved people left; why bother to pay off the taxes? So, instead of paying them off, Harlow decides to pack up his wife, two children, and three slaves and head for Texas. On their way to Texas, they stop in New Orleans, where the two male slaves are seized and held due to Harlow's back taxes in Georgia. The enslaved woman, Junie, can't be touched because she is an indentured slave and belongs to Lizzie until her children are of age. As Junie eats outside, she overhears Harlow's Uncle Pap giving Harlow advice. Pap tells Harlow that he needs not look for male slaves; he needs to get himself only female slaves. Females are cheaper; they can pull a plow, clear land, cook, clean, and breed. He tells Harlow that would increase his profits over the years. However, he wasn't to mate with women himself. Half breeds were top dollar in New Orleans, but outside of there, they were nothing but worthless. With this new bug in Harlow's ear, he sets off to find himself some female slaves. At the auction house, Harlow picks up Alice, Serah, LuLu, and Patience, along with Patience's young son named, Silas. Upon reaching Texas, Harlow picks up Nan; although she's not of breeding age, Harlow is told she is a healer and a great cook.
Now Harlow was a stubborn man; he insisted he would be able to get cotton to grow on the unfertilized, dry, untreated ground where they had moved. But, of course, that was a failure; they were lucky that they could even get part of the corn they had planted to grow. So Harlow's next mission was that they needed more help on the land and that someone needed to have a baby.
He was tired of losing money hand over fist taking care of the women, yet not seeing any return on his money.
So Harlow goes out and decides he's going to fix that; of course, by the women being slaves, they have no choice over what happens to them since they are only looked at as property in the first place. (OR DO THEY?) But, with Nan's wisdom of plant and tree whispering, she can save the women from what "ole" Harlow has in mind.
But of course, Harlow is no fool, which only gets him angrier, and he refuses to be trumped or deterred. He wanted to be successful and not sell off a parcel of land to the new slave owners who moved onto the other side of the land. Land that Harlow had intended to buy with the money his uncle had spoken of.
Meanwhile, the only person that had any children was his wife. Since being in Texas, Lizzie had two more children; the last one (number 4) was a little girl who they named Carol. Lizzie cannot nurse her because she doesn't produce enough milk, and since no one on Lucy's land has children, there is no wet nurse to help her. While Harlow is out, one day, Lizzie goes out, and rent's a wet nurse from one of her friends. When Harlow sees Dorcas nursing Carol, he throws a fit. Telling Lizzie that he wants Dorcas gone, Lizzie can take care of her child, etc.
However, Lizzie is not phased by him because she has something that most women do not have back then. Although Lizzie has her own money and her father ensures she's taken care of, she's also not afraid to remind Harlow that she paid for Dorcas with her own money.
After that argument, Lizzie summons Junie; the two have been together forever, even before Mr.Lucy. So Lizzie tells Junie that she wants to go home to Georgia; she misses everyone and needs to escape Texas. Junie doesn't believe her because this has happened before, and Lizzie never goes anywhere. She also didn't want to get her hopes up high that she might get to see her children. Junie's children Hannah and Patrick, were at Lizzie's brothers Patrick's plantation. This was always Lizzie's way of keeping Junie in check by threatening her with the fear that her children would be separated or sold off.
Harlow, back to being Harlow, has brought two new males with him to the land, Monroe and Issac. The women are initially skeptical, but when they get hired, they start to relax. Monroe and Issac are fiercely competitive, which Harlow eats up. So he sets a task before the two men. Whoever can build a cabin the fastest gets a special surprise. Issac is meticulous and precise, whereas Monroe is more about the speed of his building. So, of course, Monroe ends up winning the task. Harlow takes them to the women's table, telling the men that since Monroe won, he gets to choose first who he wants to marry. Monroe instantly decides on Serah, at which point Issac tells Harlow that he is already married. This infuriates Harlow, and Harlow tells him to choose or he will get a whipping to help him decide. Still, when Harlow blurts out Patience's name, Issac does not say anything.
Serah and Monroe each are into roots, and each hurls roots at one other, for Serah is in love with another man named Noah. However, she has no intention of getting to know Monroe, sleeping with him to make a child. So the two of them fight like cats and dogs, all the while in the other cabin; it was a different scenario.
Patience and Issac are the epitomai of calm and serenity. Patience tells the other women he is kind and considerate; he even asks her about her son Silas and wants to know about "her." When she mentioned to her Catholic friends that Issac practiced a different religion that wasn't Christian, her Catholic friends told her to report him. She had no intentions of reporting him because what he was doing reminded her of her father.
Then Noah ends up escaping the Sutton plantation and leads them searching Lucy's land, upon which they wind up at Serah and Monroe's cabin. Serah has hidden a sash of something that she should have known better than to, which will come full circle later.
This causes Harlow to go on a complete tizzy for the couples to produce children. He then begins popping up, watching, making sure they are fornicating. All along, it's his wife who is the one who's with the child.
But Lizzie has no intentions of bearing another child with no wetnurse on the premises. So she turns to her "sister" in slavery, Junie, and tells her of her dilemma. With her head in the clouds and knowing of Lizzies plans to cancel the trip to GA, Junie tells her she knows of a way. Junie starts trying to appear interested in how Nan talks to trees and plants. However, Nan is no fool and sees right through Junie. Junie confesses why she needs Nan's help, reluctant to help; Nan tells her she will make it but only once and never speak of it again to her.
Junie picks up the concoction and gives it to Lizzie; however, it's ineffective, and Nan is not around to make it anymore. So Junie tries to make more on her own and gives it to Lizzie. Lizzie tells her she is headed to friends and needs the concoction to take with her; Junie, terrified, hands over the concoction like a fool.
While at the friends, Lizzie runs into a midwife from Germany, who tells her about herbs to settle pain, which also rids unwanted pregnancy. Lizzie asks her if she can have some of these herbs, to be told she may, but after the woman has given birth. Finally, Lizzie has the herbs in hand and what follows is…..
"THAT YOU MUST READ THE BOOK!" (SORRY!)
Yes, I summarized, but you couldn't know anything about this book unless you read it. Purposely left off MAJOR essential parts, so believe me, if you had to write an essay for school, you would fail. (lol)
Rose Peyton did a fantastic job writing this book! There is such a lesson to be learned in this book that if you don't read between the lines, you might miss it.
This book brought so many emotions to the surface while reading it. I'm not a significant on-friends type of person, and time proved in this book why you always have to watch out for yourself.
My mom's favorite saying is (I'm leaving out certain words, but I'm sure some of us have heard this saying), "You give a person an inch; they want to take a whole damn yard." This is precisely what happened with Junie and Nan, then Junie and Lizzie. First, Junie forgot A." Her Place" and B." Who she was" as we say, " She got caught slipping.
Night Wherever We Go is "ONE HELL OF A BOOK"
"STUPENDOUSLY WRITTEN"
Thank you, NetGalley/Tracey Rose Peyton/ Ecco/ For this Incredible eARC in advance for my honest review. All opinions are of my own volition.

A marvelous gem of a book. A Texas couple in the 1850’s own six slaves, all female. Why female? Simple answer: they can give birth and add to the number of slaves owned. BUT, none of them become pregnant!
Peyton, the author, has various styles of writing. Some chapters are in the first person plural, we. Other chapters change the style.
My only disappointment with this book is that it ended. I hope Peyton continues to write!

I needed a moment - correction: several moments to gather myself after closing Night Wherever We Go - it is one that (in my opinion) truly surpasses the publisher’s synopsis; including deep and heavy themes with such adept handling that after the opening chapters I paused to research the author, Tracey Rose Peyton, and her inspiration for this novel.

Charles and Lizzie Harlow attempt to escape debt incurred at their depleted Georgia farm to start anew in Texas with Junie, a dowry gift, in tow with their young children and few scant belongings. A desperate (but not too bright) Charles heeds advice from a seasoned planter – advice that seems easy to implement and will guarantee fast fortune via high return-on-investment and fairly quick turn-around time. He impulsively purchases only women: an obviously fruitful Patience (and her young son, Silas), Alice, Lulu, a teenaged Serah to “breed” children for profit and an aged Nan, a notable midwife, cook, and skilled healer. Not only are these women expected to perform the hard and demanding field work (usually reserved for men), but they must also endure humiliating examinations to assess their fertility, inspected monthly, and are forced (at times under Charles’ watchful eye) to copulate with strange men for the sole purpose of becoming pregnant. Toiling in the harsh, unforgiving Texas climate with cruel owners, the women's differences dually dissipate and strengthen their bond. They agree to a pact to reclaim some form of agency over their bodies which by law is not their own. It is a calculated and dangerous plan - one that requires secrecy and diligence.

The challenges surrounding the pregnancy-resistance theme are paramount because Peyton brilliantly places and paces this “watched pot” plot. The reader knows “the pot” will eventually and inevitably spill over; however, it is the nail-biting anticipation of the how, who, when of the discovery and the presumed severe consequences thereafter, that keeps the reader turning pages. The added bonuses are the various sub-plots with strong supporting characters that elevate and celebrate love in hopeless places, the acts of defiance (no matter how infinitesimal), the power of faith in the old gods (and new) to sustain and heal, the longing and coping for lost family/loved ones, and the hopes and dreams of the enslaved. The novel has breadth and depth - spanning the Georgian, Texan, and Mexican landscapes and locales that at times seemed like characters themselves; each giving and taking nourishment and shelter at whim. It glimpses into the complicated and layered interrelationships of White settlers, Mexicans, Native Americans, the Freed, Free-born and enslaved Africans.

Overall, a beautiful book about America’s ugly past. I anxiously await Tracey Rose Peyton’s next release - hopefully it will be soon!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an opportunity to review.