First published 2008
On a remote farm in 1690s Virginia, a young enslaved girl named Florens arrives at a new homestead, carrying both trauma and hope. Her new master, a compassionate blacksmith, offers her a chance at a different life—but survival demands more than good intentions. As racial boundaries blur and personal survival becomes paramount, Florens must navigate a brutal landscape where identity is fragile and freedom remains tantalizingly out of reach. Her story intertwines with other marginalized women—Native, African, indentured—each fighting to carve out dignity in a world designed to crush them.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, african-american-historical-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, marginalized-characters
Setting: Ohio, Virginia
Period: 19th-century, 1690s
167 pages · Hardcover · Knopf
Content warnings: slavery, violence