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Published Jan 2020
416 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
Remembrance by Rita Woods is a breakout debut with modern resonance, perfect for the many fans of The Underground Railroad and Orphan Train.
Remembrance…It's a rumor, a whisper passed in the fields and veiled behind sheets of laundry. A hidden stop on the underground road to freedom, a safe haven protected by more than secrecy…if you can make it there.
Ohio, present day. An elderly woman who is more than she seems warns against rising racism as a young woman grapples with her life.
Haiti, 1791, on the brink of revolution. When the slave Abigail is forced from her children to take her mistress to safety, she discovers New Orleans has its own powers.
1857 New Orleans―a city of unrest: Following tragedy, house girl Margot is sold just before her 18th birthday and her promised freedom. Desperate, she escapes and chases a whisper.... Remembrance.
You can see the full discussion here. This discussion will contain spoilers!
Some of the recent comments posted about Remembrance:
Abigail takes a wooden disk from Hercule's shop to remember him by. Do you have physical remembrances of a loved one or event you keep handy?
I have many mementos from family past. Everything from furniture handed down in the family to more personal items like jewelry. One of my prized possessions is a buckeye that my father always carried in his pocket. - taking.mytime
Abigail thinks that she was a coward because she left her children in Haiti rather than killing them, so "they would never again know fear or sadness...." Do you agree? What do you think you would have done in her shoes?
Abigail was a giver not a taker. She could never have killed her children - before doing that she would have stayed in Haiti. Leaving them behind gave them a chance and I am sure she hoped that in the future they could some how be reunited. - taking.mytime
At first, Margot dismisses Veronique's offer to help her escape through the Underground Railroad. How would you have responded? Would you have trusted Ned?
In that day and age you could barely trust your own relatives, so no I would not have trusted Ned. That is why so many did not attempt to run or use the Underground Railroad. Most slaves knew about it, but never thought that they were capable or even... - taking.mytime
At the beginning of Part Two, we read about the day Abigail and her sister were captured near their village in Africa. How do you think Abigail was able to find the will and the courage to survive?
When you are in a dire situation you often do not have the ability to make a choice as to living or dying. Your adrenaline kicks in and your flight or fight instinct takes over. Your desire to live will overpower you and you will fight to live no ... - taking.mytime
Did you think one of the women had a more useful talent than the others? Do you know someone who has an unexplained talent? If you could choose a supernatural ability, what would it be?
Usually it is women who have super natural talents. However in my family it seemed to be the men. My paternal great grandfather could predict future events. My father could heal minor things - like scratches and rashes and the removal of warts. I ... - taking.mytime
"This book deserves to be a breakout hit. Woods's magical realist take on the black female experience will have huge appeal to readers of Marlon James and Tara Conklin." - Library Journal (starred review)
"Despite a few rookie missteps, the novel's originality makes it worth reading." - Kirkus Reviews
"Woods' writing is assured, the historical settings vivid, and her characters fully realized. Hand this to fans of Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing and Octavia Butler's Kindred, who will appreciate this complex, genre-blending debut." - Booklist
"Fine attention to sensory details and brutal honesty concerning the horrors of slavery and racial relations over more than two centuries of American history make this a standout." - Publishers Weekly
This information about Remembrance was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Rita Woods is a family doctor and the director of a wellness center. When she's not busy working or writing Dr. Woods spends time with her family or at the Homer Glen library where she served on the board for ten years. Remembrance is her first novel.
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