THE WEDDING GIFT by
Marlen Suyapa Bodden
I’m still not sure where or when the prologue was supposed
to take place – perhaps it was a dream?
After some very stilted conversations and an inconsistent
use of dialect, the story is interesting and holds your attention to the end. However, there are too many coincidences and
the slaves are often well cared for (or allowed a lot of free time) by slave
owners we are supposed to be appalled and repelled by. That is not to say slaves were not ill-treated
and horribly abused, they were. Just
that the depiction is as inconsistent as the dialect.
Fathers in the antebellum South are shown as overbearing,
browbeating, abusive scoundrels. Mothers
are meek and cowed. Sons are distant and
uncaring. In other words many of the
characters are caricatures. Still I
enjoyed the book.
Book groups will be discussing slavery, abusive husbands and
fathers, the role of women, education priorities, gossip and social ostracism
among other topics. A comparison with
The Help, To Kill a Mockingbird and/or The Color Purple would be an interesting
discussion.
Note: I read an Advance Reading Copy, I hope the map appears
in the front of the book or in the body of the text in the “real” book.
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