Let Us Descend : Discussion Thread

[Trisha]

Let Us Descend is a reimagining of American slavery, as beautifully rendered as it is heart-wrenching. Searching, harrowing, replete with transcendent love, the novel is a journey from the rice fields of the Carolinas to the slave markets of New Orleans and into the fearsome heart of a Louisiana sugar plantation.

Annis, sold south by the white enslaver who fathered her, is the reader’s guide through this hellscape. As she struggles through the miles-long march, Annis turns inward, seeking comfort from memories of her mother and stories of her African warrior grandmother. Throughout, she opens herself to a world beyond this world, one teeming with of earth and water, of myth and history; spirits who nurture and give, and those who manipulate and take. While Ward leads readers through the descent, this, her fourth novel, is ultimately a story of rebirth and reclamation.

From one of the most singularly brilliant and beloved writers of her generation, this miracle of a novel inscribes Black American grief and joy into the very land—the rich but unforgiving forests, swamps, and rivers of the American South. Let Us Descend is Jesmyn Ward’s most magnificent novel yet, a masterwork for the ages.

[Trisha]

3 chapters

(view spoiler)[ I'm really hoping Safi got away
I was so sad when her mother was taken
and I can see how she would be frustrated her mom was teaching her to fight when she wasn't allowed to fight, but it did keep her strong
I love that Aza appeared to her! I wonder where this goes from here (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha]

6 chapters

(view spoiler)[ what a horrible travel they had. when they had to go in the river tied together?! just awful

Wow, so Aza isn't really her grandma but a spirit type god that watches over her lineage.
But I don't blame Aniss for being mad and still wondering about her mother

I hope this woman is nice.
(hide spoiler)]

[Trisha]

9 chapters

(view spoiler)[ wow, starving them and not allowing them food is just awful
but now I worry that she's given the drink to the man and he got worse. I hope she isn't blamed
will she need to run? with the others too? the wife might just lose it (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha]

and done

(view spoiler)[ wow, her losing the 2 girls in the water
that was just so sad
and then being hit and thrown in the pit again.

I love that everyone and everything helped her to escape - and then she was off, making her own way. it was the best ending! I was sad Aza (or whatever her name is) was so mad but I love that Aniss was deciding to be her own person (hide spoiler)]