House of Rougeaux

House of Rougeaux
What a beautifully written multigenerational family saga. Before I say anything else, I want to say how gorgeous the cover of this book is. It’s what drew me in to take a closer look at the book itself. The vibrant green and the leaves in my mind I believed to be representative of the healing power of the plants and the luscious green of the island of Martinique. Just stunning.

This story captivated me from the beginning. It begins on the Caribbean island of Martinique in 1785 with a brother (Adunbi) and sister (Abeja) born into slavery on a sugarcane plantation. Abeja has the ability to heal and see spirits. Adunbi has a natural ability to communicate with the animal life. The severe difficulties and unjustness they face is clear but we also see the bonds, care and sense of community that keep them going during the most difficult of circumstances. The story follows Adunbi’s daughter Hetty through to Montreal where she meets Dax Rougeaux. Chronologically we move back and forth through the years meeting various offspring of the Rougeaux family. It takes us on journeys from Martinique, Philadelphia, Montreal, New York, Toronto and more. There are several interesting issues that we have insight into such as the draft, racism, homosexuality, unwanted pregnancy. I loved that music was passed through the generations as was the ability for certain family members to inherit the ability to see and heal.

I finished the book last night and woke up thinking so much about the characters and their lives, the family bonds and their situations this morning. This was such a moving novel. I enjoyed reading it immensely.

I am grateful to NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for providing me with an ARC of the House of Rougeaux in exchange for my honest review.

A multigenerational family saga. There where a lot of characters to keep track of. The book is fascinating and kept my attention. The plot was well thought out and I'll look for more by this author.