CONJURE WOMEN

by Afia Atakora

If you’ve been an L&L reader for a while, you know that I love a good historical drama, and Conjure Women is one of the best I have read in a long time. Like many contemporary writers, Atakora jumps around in the timeline to build suspense, but she does it with expert skill that keeps you turning pages much later into the night than you probably should.

Set on a southern plantation in the time just before, during and after the Civil War, the story primarily follows Miss Rue, a former slave who learned the art of healing and midwifery from her mother.  Now a free woman, she still lives in the slave cabin in which she was born alongside many other former slaves.  The plantation house has burned to the ground and the former owners are mysteriously absent.

One night the small village is awakened by the haunting cry of a child already marked as strange by the blackness of his eyes. His cry seems to set in motion a curse that causes many of the children to sicken and die.  People begin to turn against Rue as forces from the outside world begin to close in on the plantation as well.  Simultaneously, Atakora unravels the mysteries of why this little group of former slaves has been left alone post-war, how Rue learned her healing skills, and what (or who) exactly is haunting her.

Conjure Women is a stunning debut novel that creates vivid imagery and suspenseful narrative that you will not want to miss.  I highly recommend this book! (Lily)