A review by jcstokes95
River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

This accessible historical fiction invites us to follow Rachel, a mother separated from her children by the brutal practices of slavery in the West Indies, as she searches far and wide to put her family back together. I found this to be a good primer on the culture of the time and the sense of dislocation many enslaved or formerly enslaved people might feel in a foreign land. Rachel struggles throughout to find a sense of self after violence has beaten down her spirit and her personality. Her journey across Barbados, Trinidad and British Guinea help her find her self again, as well as allies who can connect her to both her family and her purpose. 

I think this book does an incredible job of dropping readers into a perspective that is unimaginable to us. While many books about slavery feel like they are told from above, it feels like we are more inside Rachel’s head. And we are forced to contend with how it might feel to lack control, not just of your own life, but over your family’s destiny. Being so inside her ratchets up an already horrifying situation. 

I found the writing style easy to get into, but not necessarily as engrossing as I hoped for. I also found there to be lots of characters throughout that I could’ve spent way more time with, but I also know that’s the nature of a book about a journey. The downside is that you don’t always feel as hooked into these side characters who likely also have fascinating lives. Overall though, I am glad I’ve read this, as I do not read much written about the Caribbean, so am happy to know more perspectives of its history. 

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