by Gayl Jones
First published 2025
Almeyda endures captivity under a brutal master in late 17th century Brazil. She moves between her harsh present and memories of Anninho, the lover she believes died when Portuguese forces destroyed Palmares, the fugitive slave community where they found freedom together. In the darkness of re-enslavement, Almeyda clings to their shared past while Anninho and his fellow warriors tell their own stories of resistance and survival. The two narratives weave together as epic poems, tracing how love persists amid colonial violence and the fight for liberation. Through alternating voices, the lovers' songs reveal both the intimate bonds that sustain people through terror and the larger struggle of Black resistance in colonial Brazil. Their intertwined stories capture how personal devotion and political rebellion merge in the face of systematic oppression.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, epic-poetry, african-american-historical-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, lyrical
Tropes: epic, found-family, love-story
Setting: Brazil, Palmares
Period: 17th Century
208 pages · Paperback · Virago Press Ltd
Content warnings: colonialism, slavery, violence