A novel that "opens in the year 1834 as a Black woman with magical powers named Saint founds a small settlement north of St. Louis with some slaves she has liberated, making the town invisible to the outside world by placing conjure stones around its perimeter. As the inhabitants of the town discover, however, Saint has provided them safety but not necessarily freedom. As the next four decades pass, more characters enter the novel, including two young boys who come of age in the settlement, a troubled young woman from New Orleans, a person of indeterminate sexuality who has the power to heal wounds and see what people have been through, and a set of twin girls that mysteriously appear in Saint's arms one day.
So vivid a glimpse into the lives of formerly enslaved people that it reads with the beauty and urgency of a spoken word poem ... This is an important novel, peopled with vivid characters literally and figuratively hidden from view.
Deeply absorbing ... A book that embraces mystery and the unknown, whether found in conjuring and rituals or in the vagaries of lifelong relationships ... Ours for all its elements of magic, fantasy and mythology, is a realistic depiction of how we might arrive at utopia: through people who are always trying to become, always finding ways to navigate and survive harsh realities, always reaching for moments of joy and intimacy.
A bold, ambitious, often beguiling piece of work – an epic folk tale of Black American emancipation. But the tale’s prolonged scenic ramble demands stamina and resolve ... This is a book to get lost in – sometimes pleasurably, sometimes not. The tale takes its time and the detours are engrossing, exploring the consequences and complexities of a life of freedom. Williams writes in a rich, unhurried roll, while his prose is so flamboyant that it’s tempting to ignore its occasional woolly imprecisions.
