Powerfully and beautifully written. It is a story that will stick with me for a long time and deserves to be read again.

This was a good book, the first I have read by this author, I may have to read her others. Annis lives with her mother, both are enslaved with a group of other black people on a farm. Her mother teaches her defense/warrior type skills that she had learned from her mother, and shares stories of her past to show her daughter that they came from a line of strong women. Annis is the daughter of the owner, and catches his attention one day, she is saved by her mother, though she is then sold, Annis is sold not long after. She endures a long walk with several others from North Carolina to New Orleans where she is again sold at a slave market to a woman who owns a sugar cane plantation. All the slaves are treated poorly, under fed, worked to the bone and beat if they don't work hard enough. Annis has a 'spirit' that she talks to, who she looks to for guidance, sometimes helpful, sometimes not so much. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Scribner for the ARC.

A stunningly beautiful book that describes the inhuman horrors of slavery; while depicting the unending power of love:

I've never read a Jesmyn Ward book before and while I wasn't attracted to the cover her name was enough for me to give this a shot. I'm certainly a fan now!

There is not much to say aside from the fact that Ward's pitch perfect voice carries this book through. An absolutely heart wrenching book without a misplaced word anywhere. A big wow.