Final Thoughts

The novel was a very emotional read for me, as I am a very emotional reader. I had a difficult time focusing on critical elements of content and style because I was easily swept away in the affective purchase of the story. It was not a satisfying read for me; it tugged on my soul and made me feel miserable.

The narrative style was paramount for me because even after I finished the novel, I lingered on what happened to the narrator and why she struggled to "let go" and pass on. A narrator like her might have been considered unreliable in another context, yet in this context of slavery in which she watches her kin move through life toward freedom, I never had any doubts about her integrity and her truthful narration. This struck me quite a bit, because the gaps in her vision may suggest to savvy readers that there is some room for error. But, I was open to taking her word as gospel, perhaps because of the sincere pain mingled with her narrative style. There was no challenging that pain. It trumped any other evidence of suspicious narration for me. That is the power of pain in this novel. It is overwhelmingly powerful.