Let Us Descend
Young Annis, an enslaved girl in the antebellum South, meets a series of misfortunes and is thrust into ever more hellish circumstances in a Dante-esque journey to New Orleans from North Carolina. As her situation becomes more and more dire, the narrative becomes increasingly infused with magical realist elements, in the form of spirits who assist her. In danger from her enslavers and sometimes even from the spirits, whose hauntings are not always benign, Annis must gather all the strength and self-regard and independence she learned from her mother in order to protect herself. Despite her lack of agency, she must try to carve a life of her own choosing.
Lyrically and impressionistically written, this novel may not be as realistic as some readers desire, and those who are reading it for the history likewise may be disappointed. The characters may feel like types rather than fully realized individuals. Yet the strength of the novel is in the emotional trajectory it evokes, from Annis’s full reliance on her mother’s protection to being alone and defeated to finding the spark within to take ownership of herself. Following the example of Dante’s Divine Comedy, from which the title is taken, it can be read as strongly allegorical. Let Us Descend will appeal to readers of literary fiction who appreciate evocative language, magical realism, self-reliant heroines, and narratives that highlight joy and connection amid historical atrocities.
