In the Upper Country by Kai Thomas is an ambitious and engrossing novel set in the 1800s in Dunmore, Canada, that follows the intertwined stories of two women, one of whom is just beginning her journey of self-discovery, and the other of whom is completing her last important act. This book weaves together unlikely tales of love, survival, and familial upheaval in an interesting way to map the interconnected history of the peoples of North America.

Young Lensinda Martin begins the novel working for an outspoken Black journalist. A neighbouring farmer summons Lensinda one night after a recently arrived via the Underground Railroad elderly woman shoots and kills a slave hunter on his property. Instead of fleeing, the elderly woman proposes a trade: a story for a story. Thus begins a remarkable exchange of tales and secrets that reveals the intertwined history of Black and Indigenous peoples in a large portion of what is now North America.

Strong characters and imagery capture the reader's attention. The story is rich in intriguing historical details and is told from multiple perspectives, which contributes to the narrative's complexity and depth. The use of excerpts from a collection of enslaved people's narratives and stories of Black Canadians during the War of 1812 enhances this further.

However, the novel has its flaws: the pacing can be slow at times, and the conclusion may not satisfy all readers.

"In the Upper Country" is a historical novel set in 1850s Canada which explores the legacy of slavery. The novel is set in a town inhabited by slaves who have escaped via the Underground Railroad, and is narrated by Lensinda Martin, a young black reporter who is investigating the shooting of an American bounty hunter by an old woman who has escaped from the American South. Most of the novel takes place in the old woman's jail cell, as Lensinda tries to discover her side of the story, but the old woman instead insists that they exchange stories from previous decades, which lead both women to discover more about their pasts and how they are connected.

This is a beautifully written novel with a strong sense of voice - not just in Lensinda's narrative but also in the many embedded stories. The novel is clearly based on meticulous research and explores important - and often neglected - themes related to the impact of slavery, particularly the relationships between black and indigenous Americans but also the impact of slavery on families and the intergenerational trauma caused by this.

However, this novel felt quite difficult to follow at times. In part this was owing to the structure of the novel: with so many stories within stories, I found it hard to keep track of who was who, how characters related to each other (much of which is deliberately not revealed until alter on) and when and where different episodes took place. I have read a number of other novels dealing with slavery during this time period, but it felt like this novel required a far more detailed knowledge of the history of slavery in different parts of the America and Canada, and offered relatively few clues to guide less expert readers. This did therefore lessen the novel's emotional impact for me, though other readers may find that they are more caught up in the story.

Kai Thomas is clearly a gifted writer and I will be interested to read more books by him. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.

I am sorry to say that I just didn't connect with this book. I loved the sound of it, so I feel very disappointed hope other readers enjoy it more.

I wanted to like this novel a great deal more than I did. The premise of the story was excellent and I’ve not read much about indigenous Canadians or the large congregations of black people who escaped from slavery in the USA and lived just over the Canadian border. Sadly I just couldn’t seem to get into the flow of the novel and while some chapters totally hooked me in, others felt stilted on somehow unrealistic and I lost interest. The characters of Sinda and Cash and in fact all of the largely female cast of characters are well drawn, likeable and in their own ways, flawed but somehow my feelings towards Sinda bordered on apathy. Cash’s back story chapters were for me by far the most exciting and emotionally charged and from about 75% the book did take off and fly for me, but sadly I found the ending slightly predictable.

3.5 ⭐️