by Jennifer Miller
Ms. Bodden cuts to the chase, wasting no time in plunging the reader into the heart of antebellum Alabama.
In fact, the novel seems less like the revealing of an historical fiction drama, but more the simple, factual, straight-forward
rendering of the stories of two women - one white, and one, her slave, black - much as if they were telling their stories
to a friend, without the customary flowing description or reorganization of events for dramatic impact.
In fact, the story is searingly to the point, in no way softening the ugliness of an ugly time and the devastation
of lives ruined by uncontrollable circumstances ... as well as the hope inspired by both women's steps toward freedom.
One tragedy of this period is that, contrary to common knowledge, slavery also diminished the lives of white women
who were trapped by conventions of society and marital helpless, and white men, who were trapped within conventions, almost
rituals of pride, lust, arrogance and greed.
The real tragedy however, is that slavery still exists today. This book is not one written by a white researcher, enthusiastic in his or her pursuit of knowledge. Ms. Bodden
is a New York attorney who represents the poor, low-wage and immigrant workers, many of whom are severely underpaid, if paid at all, and who therefore knows whereof she speaks.
This is not a novel for the faint-hearted - but it is, indeed, a novel inspiring faith in the human ability to succeed no matter the circumstances.
