Conjure Women
A Novel
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4.2 • 111 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
A mother and daughter with a shared talent for healing—and for the conjuring of curses—are at the heart of this dazzling first novel
WINNER OF THE SOCIETY OF AMERICAN HISTORIANS PRIZE • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times • NPR • Parade • Book Riot • PopMatters
“Lush, irresistible . . . It took me into the hearts of women I could otherwise never know. I was transported.”—Amy Bloom, New York Times bestselling author of White Houses and Away
Conjure Women is a sweeping story that brings the world of the South before and after the Civil War vividly to life. Spanning eras and generations, it tells of the lives of three unforgettable women: Miss May Belle, a wise healing woman; her precocious and observant daughter Rue, who is reluctant to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a midwife; and their master’s daughter Varina. The secrets and bonds among these women and their community come to a head at the beginning of a war and at the birth of an accursed child, who sets the townspeople alight with fear and a spreading superstition that threatens their newly won, tenuous freedom.
Magnificently written, brilliantly researched, richly imagined, Conjure Women moves back and forth in time to tell the haunting story of Rue, Varina, and May Belle, their passions and friendships, and the lengths they will go to save themselves and those they love.
LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE
“[A] haunting, promising debut . . . Through complex characters and bewitching prose, Atakora offers a stirring portrait of the power conferred between the enslaved women. This powerful tale of moral ambiguity amid inarguable injustice stands with Esi Edugyan’s Washington Black.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“An engrossing debut . . . Atakora structures a plot with plenty of satisfying twists. Life in the immediate aftermath of slavery is powerfully rendered in this impressive first novel.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Afia Atakora’s brilliant debut is a tale of love, betrayal, compassion, and magical curses. Rue is an enslaved woman working on a plantation in the Deep South; like her mother, she’s also a healer, midwife, and conjurer. Rue’s folk medicine helps both the slaves and the masters, who all admire her knowledge and powers. But when that magic isn’t enough to stave off a tragedy, respect quickly morphs into suspicion, anger, and hatred. The novel jumps back and forth between two timelines, “Slaverytime” and “Freedomtime,” stitching together the plot’s dark, fascinating mysteries. With each time jump, we learn more about her characters and their motivations. Atakora takes tremendous care to depict the lives of enslaved people with accuracy and sensitivity, drawing us into their unspeakably inhumane circumstances and leaving us awestruck by their resilience. Don’t be surprised if Conjure Women has you reading late into the night, desperate to know if the story of Rue and her community will end in darkness…or with a magical glimmer of hope.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Atakora's haunting, promising debut explores the legacy of a Southern plantation in the years leading up to and following the Civil War. Miss May Belle, a "conjure woman" known for casting spells to relieve ailments, helps fellow enslaved women with childbirth and treats their cruel master, Marse Charles, for sexually transmitted infections. Alternating in chapters titled "Slaverytime" and "Freedomtime," Atakora follows May Belle's daughter, Rue, who learned her mother's knowledge before her death. At 20, Rue continues living on the plantation grounds with most of the other former slaves after the war ends and Marse Charles disappears. His daughter, Varina, however, stays behind in hiding from those wishing to seek vengeance for the master's abuses. After Rue helps with the birth of an unusually pale baby born with "oil-slicked black irises," the infant is blamed for the spread of a mysterious disease. A charismatic black preacher named Bruh Abel promises that a baptism will heal the afflicted, while Rue concocts her own plan and continues to secretly care for Varina, whom she grew up with and takes pity on. Through complex characters and bewitching prose, Atakora offers a stirring portrait of the power conferred between the enslaved women. This powerful tale of moral ambiguity amid inarguable injustice stands with Esi Edugyan's Washington Black. Correction: An earlier version of this review misstated the book's title.
