Magical realism plays a role in the form of hoodoo which May Belle is gifted with. While Varina is the same age as Rue her life is completely different however that doesn’t stop her adopting Rue as a play mate leading to tragic consequences, especially because Rue as a slave has little say in the friendship and cannot go against the wishes of her “friend”.

Caught up in both time frames is Varina the daughter of Marse Charles the slave owner. We hear from Miss May Belle in the war years and her daughter Rue in the years that follow the emancipation of the slaves. The story moves backwards and forwards in time. While this is a story set in the South in the time just before and after the civil war and while the main characters are slaves or “Marse” this is not a story about slavery (at least not directly) instead it is a story about women and the complex relationships that exist between them. As an aside I am loving the current trend for covers with dark backgrounds and colourful images, so eye catching and pretty. 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.īookworm’s Thoughts: This is another amazingly strong debut novel from a very talented author. 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. 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. Synopsis from Goodreads: A mother and daughter with a shared talent for healing–and for the conjuring of curses–are at the heart of this dazzling first novelĬonjure Women is a sweeping story that brings the world of the South before and after the Civil War vividly to life.

This ARC was provided by 4th Estate (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora