*This review does not contain spoilers.*
Where to begin? This book by Landee Hubbard is a masterpiece. It is beautifully written and the characters feel real. And in a way, they are. While August Sitwell is fictional, so many others like “Uncle Ben” and “Aunt Jemima” are not. It’s an own voices narrative that shows a side historically changed or ignored, much like the changing of the narrative on an event August lived through. It examines themes of race, exploitation, and the rage that is felt by those affected in a way that resonates with the events of today. It’s one of those books that makes you think and question the things around you. The plot was engaging and the time jump to the second part of the book made sense. Just like people in the novel are left reeling by the events that occurred, so is the reader. I haven’t read Hubbard’s other novel, but found that I didn’t have to in order to understand things.
Where to begin? This book by Landee Hubbard is a masterpiece. It is beautifully written and the characters feel real. And in a way, they are. While August Sitwell is fictional, so many others like “Uncle Ben” and “Aunt Jemima” are not. It’s an own voices narrative that shows a side historically changed or ignored, much like the changing of the narrative on an event August lived through. It examines themes of race, exploitation, and the rage that is felt by those affected in a way that resonates with the events of today. It’s one of those books that makes you think and question the things around you. The plot was engaging and the time jump to the second part of the book made sense. Just like people in the novel are left reeling by the events that occurred, so is the reader. I haven’t read Hubbard’s other novel, but found that I didn’t have to in order to understand things.