Following echoes between generations which defy normal time and space, a multilayered narrative celebrates the Rougeaux family triumphs while exposing the injustices of their trials. It begins with Iya, born in Africa in the 1700s, and brought to the Caribbean island of Martinique as a slave, and her two children, Adunbi and Abeje, who grow up on a sugar estate. The siblings endure because of the kindness of fellow bondsmen and their uncommon abilities. A grandchild becomes emancipated in Quebec City, great-grandchildren find their way in Montreal, a great-great-grandchild runs off to Philadelphia, and another risks everything in New York City. As each new member of the family takes the spotlight, a fresh piece of the puzzle is illuminated until at last, a homecoming uplifts them all. In skillful prose, award-winning author Jenny Jaeckel masterfully blends genres of coming-of-age, folklore, magical realism, and historical fiction with explorations of gender, race, and sexuality, creating a wondrous and harrowing tale of hope and healing.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
April 24, 2018 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781941203293
- File size: 273110 KB
- Duration: 09:28:58
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from March 26, 2018
Actor Turpin’s skill with a vast array of accents brings the characters of Jaeckel’s multigenerational novel to life. The story begins with a young brother and sister, Adunbi and Abeje, who are slaves on the Caribbean island of Martinique in the 18th century, and follows Adunbi’s descendants to Quebec City, Montreal, Philadelphia, and New York City in the proceeding centuries. In each era, a different character is highlighted: Abeje becomes a respected healer; Adunbi’s daughter, Hetty, is taken to Quebec City and becomes emancipated; Hetty’s son Guillaume is successful, marries, and has children, but hides his homosexuality until a chance encounter changes his life; Eleanor, Guillaume’s musically talented daughter, gets an opportunity to audition for a prestigious conservatory in New York, which takes her life in unexpected directions. Turpin’s cool, clear voice fluidly takes the listener from place to place, and her accent switches seamlessly from Caribbean to French to English to American Southern, giving each character a distinct and authentic voice. Turpin’s multifaceted performance enhances this rich tapestry of a novel. A Raincloud hardcover. -
Narrator Bahni Turpin conveys place and time quickly while establishing the characters of Abeje and Adunbi, twins enslaved on a sugar plantation in eighteenth-century Martinique. Turpin conveys the protectiveness of their mother, the brutality of her death, and, afterwards, the tenderness of their protection of each other. Turpin also gives a strong sense of the culture of mysticism, viewed largely through Abeje's development as a healer. Abeje and Adunbi are the progenitors of two centuries of heroes and heroines who deal courageously with the circumstance they face in varying time periods in Canada and the U.S. Each poignantly and personally reflects the issues of his or her era--for example, racism and gender prejudices. Turpin's facility with accents and characterizations gives listeners a sense of these shifting time periods and the continuity that comes from generations of treasured family stories. S.W. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
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