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A review by bookedandfrizzy
Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
This is not the sort of story that you can remove yourself from. The storytelling is so vivid and real that you immediately get lost in the pages. We journey with Annis, a girl who is walked south from a rice plantation in the Carolinas to Louisiana where she is sold at market and enslaves on a sugar plantation. It’s a difficult read about a terrible time in our history but Annis is the kind of heroine you immediately connect with and root for. I would actually call this book an experience.
The writing is different from what I am typically drawn to but it’s so expressive that I couldn’t turn away. This story combines two of my favorite genres: historical fiction and magical realism. This aspect added something entirely different to the plot for me. It really made me ponder on the things that give us hope, the things that keeps us going, and the things that give is an escape while we are on our journey . The secondary characters made this story even more magical. I could read a story about mama Aza and the warrior wives.
This is my first book by Ward but it definitely won’t be my last.