An incredible, powerful book. I’ve seen some who say this book is a page-turner. For me, the subject matter was so difficult that I had to take a break at the end of every chapter.

Two half-sisters who have never met are the two branches of a family tree that spans two continents over eight generations, from the early years of colonization in the 18th century, through slavery, emancipation, independence, and through to the beginning of our century. The book follow the tragedies and victories of those who were shipped as slaves across the ocean to America, and those who took part in the enslavement of their brethren and remained in the Gold Coast in Western Africa to fight for their own freedom.

This meticulously researched and vividly presented story, a marvelous debut, makes no attempt to sugar coat any of the horrors the two branches went through and partook in. And yet, despite the desperate backdrop, in can celebrate the small victories without pretending they are a happy ending: tragedy is rarely far behind, but this is no reason to give up on what good we might draw from life today.

The book has its imperfections. Some of the narrative techniques are a bit heavy handed at times (I can easily imagine a high school English teacher asking the students “what is the significance of the black stone necklace?”), which goes some way towards laying bare the narrative illusion. Nevertheless, it is highly recommended, not only as a penetrating story, but also as a powerful introduction to the history to slavery and colonialism in Africa, and a provocative piece on what links us, as individuals and as a society, to our history.