Set in 1855, 1924, and 2017, the multigenerational story features Ava, a single mother who moves in as a caretaker for her elderly white grandmother whose lingering racism intensifies as her dementia worsens. Also told is the story of Ava’s black grandmother’s grandmother, Josephine, who was a slave as a child and later in life an owner of a farm. Cautiously Josephine forms a friendship with the young white woman who moved nearby but soon the relationship begins to jeopardize Josephine’s family. Though generations apart, Ava’s and Josephine’s lives threaten to converge.
What unfolds is an important story about intergenerational trauma and the lasting effects of racism as well as the strength, wisdom, and power from ancestral history. Sexton does an excellent job developing the deeply compelling and nuanced characters and weaving powerful elements of ancestral magic into the story.
THE REVISIONERS is at times difficult to read but completely engrossing, it’s agonizing and beautiful in the best ways! It is an important and relevant book that everyone needs to read!
*** Counterpoint Press provided the book for honest review
- Title: The Revisioners
- Author: Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
- Published: November 5, 2019 (Counterpoint Press)
- Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism
- Booky Nooky Rating: * * * * *
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