This book is billed as “an unforgettable novel about race, class, and revenge” and it absolutely lives up to that. The main plot follows a deal about making and marketing a rib sauce developed by Mamie, a cook, and Mr. Sitwell, a groundskeeper. Both Mamie and Mr. Sitwell are Black and their race plays a huge role in how the deal with their sauce impacts their lives. While this in itself could have been an interesting story, that is merely the top layer of the many intricate storylines and character studies in this novel. Every time I thought I had a handle on the story, characters, and the themes, Hubbard would draw back the curtain and reveal more intrigue or another aspect to a character. It kept me on my toes and I loved the journey so much. Since delving into the specifics of what I liked would spoil some of the twists, I will just say that the characters are wonderful and compelling and the plot was beyond my wildest expectations. My only complaint is the end felt very rushed - a couple pages for what could have (should have?) taken a full chapter. I liked all of the decisions and the conclusions to character arcs, but it was so quickly done that I didn’t have a lot of time to comprehend what happened before the book was over. All in all, I think this was an exceptional read and I would highly recommend it to people who are looking to further their knowledge of the Black experience or just for people who like historical fictions in general. This was a well-written, highly rewarding read.