This hard to summarize because a LOT happens, and the events that seem key at the beginning end up being completely different. The first part is told from Mr. Sitwell's perspective, the Black groundskeeper for a white family in the early 1900s who is struggling to afford their status, as the family receives a business proposal that will impact several of the family's staff. The second half is set 10 years later and told by Jennie, who had been a maid for the family and is now an entrepreneur and trying to succeed as a Black woman when society has different expectations.
The synopsis just doesn't do this book justice. It was a wonderful read, and the themes of exploitation and vengeance were done so well, while also touching on racism, classism, misogyny, and xenophobia. I really enjoyed the writing, and was immediately hooked. The characters are complex and well-developed. Jennie was such a great character to root for, and even the minor characters were colorful. It's hard to comment on Mr. Sitwell without giving anything away, but he was definitely complex!
My only issue was the ending completely confused me. There were a lot of characters with different motivations, and it was hard to sort out who wanted what (especially when what they said didn't always reflect what they meant) and how everything came to pass.
I would still strongly recommend this book, and thoroughly enjoyed it all the way through.
The synopsis just doesn't do this book justice. It was a wonderful read, and the themes of exploitation and vengeance were done so well, while also touching on racism, classism, misogyny, and xenophobia. I really enjoyed the writing, and was immediately hooked. The characters are complex and well-developed. Jennie was such a great character to root for, and even the minor characters were colorful. It's hard to comment on Mr. Sitwell without giving anything away, but he was definitely complex!
My only issue was the ending completely confused me. There were a lot of characters with different motivations, and it was hard to sort out who wanted what (especially when what they said didn't always reflect what they meant) and how everything came to pass.
I would still strongly recommend this book, and thoroughly enjoyed it all the way through.