Review: Yellow Wife

Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a story of a beautiful slave, Pheby Delores Brown, and how she survives living in the famous slave jail in Virginia, Devil's Half-Acre.

Originally born in a plantation, Pheby is privileged and shielded because of her mother's position and her relationship with the Master's beloved sister. Pheby cannot wait until she is eighteen when she will be freed and finally get her happy-ever-after with her love, Essex Henry. But, the Master's wife hates Pheby and what she represents and soon Pheby finds herself thrown out of her the only home she has ever known and into the house of the Jailer. Life as she know it, has changed forever and she has to use her wits to survive and to help the people she cares about.

Whew! I have read other works by Sadeqa Johnson so I knew she had some serious writing chops. BUT, this historical fiction read was different from her other works. What a gritty, grueling depiction of life for enslaved women back then. I read this in hours - pausing to work and eat. Her descriptions made me visualize the depravity, the lack of humanity but also the moments of love. Pheby endured so much in this snapshot of her life that I wondered how she had the fortitude to survive - but love for others is a great motivator.

It is obvious from this read that Sadeqa did a lot of research to bring this character to life. Her experiences are not for the faint-hearted. It shows the horror of slavery with images that remain implanted in your mind long after reading. I felt how the quest for freedom is a powerful driving force and I applaud the author for taking this character through journeys of highs and lows that rocked me to the core. There wasn't a truth stone of this painful time in history that was left unturned.

Goodness. I have to take a moment to breathe. This was raw and real.

On a lighter note, what an apt title and beautiful cover. I can't wait to see what else this author brings.
Thank you #Netgalley

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