First published 2023
The master of Providence plantation announces that slavery has ended in Barbados, but his former slaves must remain as apprentices for six more years. Rachel refuses to accept this false freedom. She escapes to begin a desperate search for her five children who were sold away from her: Mary Grace, Micah, Thomas Augustus, Cherry Jane, and Mercy. Her journey carries her from Barbados through the rivers and forests of British Guiana to the shores of Trinidad. Each step brings danger and uncertainty. Rachel faces the possibility that some or all of her children may be dead, but she cannot stop searching. A mother cannot be truly free, she believes, without knowing what became of her children. The quest will test every limit of her strength and courage as she travels across the Caribbean, following fragments of information and fading hope. This is Rachel's story of maternal love driving her to extraordinary lengths in pursuit of her family and genuine freedom.
Genres: historical-fiction, 19th-century, family-drama, african-american-historical-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: desperate-search, found-family
Setting: Barbados, British Guiana, Trinidad
Period: 19th-century
352 pages · Paperback · Berkley
Content warnings: slavery