Conjure Women by Afia Atakora
Miss May Belle is a healing woman, in the property of a wealthy plantation owner, who is just trying to successfully navigate her family and her people through a war where neither she nor her fellows have any say in their future. She's a Conjure Woman, respected and feared by the other slaves, as well as a Mother, afraid for her daughters future in a life that will never be her own. Miss Rue is a freed slave who is struggling to live up to her Mother's reputation as a healer while living in a Black community built on the ruins of her old masters' plantation. Trying to survive accusations of witchcraft and the fanaticism of religion, she finds the world changing drastically around her. The war is over but there's something now there's something new to fear and she must do her best to survive.
This book has made it's way to one of my favourite books of 2020. I've had this on my list almost since it was released earlier this year. Anything related to magic/mysticism in fiction is always a draw for me so the title Conjure Women immediately drew me in. I've had this on my shelf for a few weeks now and given current events happening in the US and all over the world, it felt like a very fitting time to pick up this book. What better way to start educating yourself on the history of racism than by reading books with a focus on the subject, whether fictional or non-fictional, by Black authors?
This book took on a dream-like quality. It's written mainly from Rue's point of view and starts after the events of the Civil War, eventually flashing back to times of slavery before the uprising as well as plantation life during the war itself. The author's wording and structure painted such a vivid picture yet it also felt fuzzy and sepia-toned near the edges like an old picture or a dream that's fading away. It was a beautifully written telling of a tragically unfair way of life.
Atakora differentiates the two timelines in this novel between "slaverytime" and "freedomtime". Although, after the war, there is no longer a white family ruling and punishing the people living on this plantation, not much else has changed. The town must keep a low profile for their own safety as they are still very much in the South and hate doesn't just go away because the "the right side" won the war (she also highlights quite fantastically how sides aren't as relevant to the Black characters in this book as freedom didn't mean equality and "maybe it's better the devil you know").
What hit me most about this book was Rue's characterization. She was very secretive and distrustful and oh so lonely and this made it hard for her to form deep relationships in any form, even with her mother. The roots of this distrust go all the way back to her childhood where she learned that she was not equal in this world, she was property and dispensable and had seen the consequences of fighting back with her own eyes. She could never let her guard down, doing so might mean death. Reading through a cautious woman's point of view felt like seeing shadows around every corner.
It felt very well researched. It's definitely one of the most real-feeling historical fiction novels I've read this year. Atakora doesn't shy away from themes of misogyny, classism, and racism, highlighting how dangerous and damaging these things can be. The reality of the time, especially for Black people, was not pretty. A Black man whose name was even mentioned by a white woman was at risk of lynching, a slave who dared meet their owner's eyes would be beaten, the darker slaves weren't allowed in the house, only the "lighter ones" could serve during parties (life was easier if you could be "passing white" highlighting the inequality not only between races but within races as well, being pit against each other solely based on skin tone), women were objects for men's desires, expected to give up even the rights to their own bodies or risk punishment or death. The author also doesn't shy away from the truth of the violence slaves experienced from their owners even for the littlest of crimes, it's gruesome but it's a truth that should not be glossed over otherwise it becomes less relevant.
Although this is a book that has a large focus on racism due to this being about slavery in the American South, it's not the main theme. It's prominent in every page and paragraph but the true focus is the relationship between Rue and her Mother and all the secrets buried between them. From Rue's point of view of a harsh Mother who cared more for her "patients" than her daughter to Miss May Belle's point of view, in constant fear and resignation of what life will have in store for her baby and distancing herself from the pain of it.
It was a really good book that didn't shy away from the truthful and harsh reality of this time period and also used that pain to bring forth the beauty of growth and resilience. If you're looking for a read to remember for years to come, this is the perfect pick. I will definitely be revisiting it in the future to see if there's anything I missed the first go around. Definitely a 5 star read.