by Andrea Levy
First published 2011
July works the cane fields at Amity plantation in Jamaica. She belongs to Caroline Mortimer, the white woman who runs the estate. The year 1831 brings the Baptist War, and July watches as rebellion sweeps across the island. Slaves rise up against their masters, demanding freedom that seems impossible to achieve. July survives the violence and chaos that follows. She knows her mother Kitty and the other workers who tend the plantation lands. She sees how Caroline Mortimer responds when her world begins to crumble. Years pass, and slavery finally ends by law. July must navigate this new reality alongside everyone else at Amity. The other plantation workers face the same uncertainty about what freedom actually means. July discovers that legal emancipation brings its own struggles and complications. Her story captures how ordinary people experienced these massive changes in Jamaican society. The tale shows what happened to individuals when an entire economic and social system collapsed around them.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 19th-century, african-american-historical-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, historical-fiction, social-commentary
Setting: Jamaica, Amity Plantation
Period: 1831, 19th-century
310 pages · Paperback · Penguin Canada
Content warnings: slavery, violence