Katie Sweeting

Remnant
Written by Katie Sweeting
Review by Bonnie DeMoss

 

In 1753, eleven-year-old Oluchukwu (Olu) and her brother Olaudah (Ledu) are kidnapped in Africa, separated, and sold. Olu ends up in America on a rice plantation in South Carolina, but she longs to find Ledu. As she grows from a child to a woman, she learns to survive and is secretly taught to read and write by the plantation owner's brother. Even while she endures the cruelty of enslavement, Olu plans an escape and tries to look for Ledu.

In 1807 London, eleven-year-old Joanna Vassa is a guest of William Wilberforce at a party thrown to celebrate the passage of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act. She is accompanied by her guardian, John Audley, or Uncle John. Audley has cared for her since the death of her father, Gustavus Vassa, a formerly enslaved abolitionist whose memoir helped open the eyes of many regarding the horrors of slavery. As Joanna goes off to a prominent boarding school, faces discrimination, and grows into womanhood, she begins to wonder what happened to her father's sister, Olu.

This dual-timeline, dual coming of age story does not hold back or try to sugarcoat the evils of slavery and discrimination. Using as a foundation the real-life memoir of Olaudah Equiano, also known as Gustavus Vassa, this gripping novel explores the lives of Equiano's sister Olu, about whom little is known, and his daughter Joanna. Olu endures the horrors of slavery while Joanna, who grew up much more comfortably under her guardian's protection, is isolated and bullied at school due to her race. Real-life and fictional characters combine to create an honest and compelling novel. This book celebrates two strong and remarkable women of color who survive a great period of evil in the history of the world. Highly recommended.

Remnant will be especially welcomed by any library strong in developing Black and African-American fiction. It presents readers with a story steeped in Olu's experience of being kidnapped from her Nigerian home to become a slave in America, forced to work on a South Carolina rice plantation in 1753 while harboring dreams of escape. In contrast to her life is that of Joanna Vassa, a biracial orphan whose knowledge of her Aunt Olu is sorely lacking. Katie Sweeting dovetails these two lives in a manner that creates appealing, unexpected contrasts between different forms of racism which may have changed, in some ways, over the years, yet remains the same in too many forms. In 1753, Olu is eleven, her kidnapping already a memory that happened "many suns ago." Her recollection of this experience introduces the first surprise: a female was involved in her abduction. As she and her younger brother pass from hand to hand, sold and in servitude, Olu moves from being a happy, contented child to one haunted by violence and uncertainty. Sweeting takes the time to describe all the events that proceed to impact Olu's young life before turning to Joanna, who has her own struggles being a young woman of color, which white society doesn't understand: "She's practically black." Miranda hastened out of the parlour like a dark cloud, taking her negative energy with her. An awkward silence ensued. I looked down at my practically black hands folded in my lap. I wondered, can I not be practically black and English? Oh, how I wish my mama or papa were here. Uncle John was wonderful, but we didn't speak about these things. He had no idea what it was like to be a young woman of colour in England. In this initial foray out into the world - I had led a sheltered life thus far - I encountered attitudes and opposition I didn't expect and didn't know how to deal with. Where did I fit in? How did others view me? Was I English or African, and are those mutually exclusive? Sweeting reviews social changes and turmoil that range from abolitionist efforts and movements to how each girl adjusts to and impacts the world around her.

As political and social battles come to light, past and present dovetail in ways that will undoubtedly spark debates and interest among audiences that will find that these two girls are excellent examples of different forms of racism, historical precedent, and methods of handling prejudice. The healing process embraces others' attitudes, reactions, and changes, as well. This introduces further threads of social and psychological examination as the early 1800s come to life. Even when Sweeting's character explores romance, strong connections to underlying themes of choice, consequence, and action are included, creating thought-provoking moments and bigger-picture reflections: I believe we don't know how we really feel until a choice is offered, and we accept or decline. The result is a novel steeped in the experiences of two women who make headway in confronting prejudice, assumptions, racism, and empowerment (or the lack thereof) in their lives. Libraries seeking historical fiction that is highly recommendable to general-interest readers as well as book clubs holding special interest in themes of recovery and transformation from social strife and struggle will welcome the opportunity to acquire Remnant for their collections.

 

Diane C. Donovan, Senior Reviewer

Donovan's Literary Services www.donovansliteraryservices.com

 Click here to purchase the ebook

 

                              OR

 

Get your copy of Remnant today - signed by the author.

 

The cost is $25 (including shipping - US only).

 

Go to the contact page to provide your address and the recipient's name for the signing.

 

Use any of these payment methods.

 

Thanks for your support!

 

Please write a short review on Amazon!!