Let Us Descend: A Novel
OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK - Instant New York Times Bestseller - Named one of the best books of 2023 by The Washington Post, Vanity Fair, The Boston Globe, Time, The New Yorker, and more. "Nothing short of epic, magical, and intensely moving." --Vogue - "A novel of triumph." --The Washington Post - "Harrowing, immersive, and other-worldly." --People From "one of America's finest living writers" (San Francisco Chronicle) and "heir apparent to Toni Morrison" (LitHub)--comes a haunting masterpiece about an enslaved girl in the years before the Civil War that's destined to become a classic. Let Us Descend describes a journey from the rice fields of the Carolinas to the slave markets of New Orleans and into the fearsome heart of a Louisiana sugar plantation. A journey that is as beautifully rendered as it is heart wrenching, the novel is "[t]he literary equivalent of an open wound from which poetry pours" (NPR). Annis, sold south by the white enslaver who fathered her, is the reader's guide. As she struggles through the miles-long march, Annis turns inward, seeking comfort from memories of her mother and stories of her African warrior grandmother. Throughout, she opens herself to a world beyond this world, one teeming with spirits: of earth and water, of myth and history; spirits who nurture and give, and those who manipulate and take. While Annis leads readers through the descent, hers is ultimately a story of rebirth and reclamation. From one of the most singularly brilliant and beloved writers of her generation, this "[s]earing and lyrical...raw, transcendent, and ultimately hopeful" (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution) novel inscribes Black American grief and joy into the very land--the rich but unforgiving forests, swamps, and rivers of the American South. Let Us Descend is Jesmyn Ward's most magnificent novel yet.
BUY THE BOOK
These clubs recently read this book...
Community Reviews
My standards for a Jessmyn Ward book are so high, I think she’s just such a fantastically talented writer. This book sadly did not meet those expectations. It’s still a well-written, interesting book but it didn’t blow me away.
3 out of 5⭐️
This was a tough one to get through as the nature of the story isn’t a pleasant one. The descriptive writing in this story is beautiful and reminds me of reading poetry. I also love the depth to which the author makes the reader experience her writing. The flow of the story through the magical spiritual realm back to reality was challenging to remain focus. The beginning is also slow.
The writing style is beautiful. The details of the settings and characters were great but the pace of the story was slow.
“You your own weapon.”
In Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward, we follow an enslaved young woman named Annis as she is separated from her mother, punished for allowing the embrace of intimacy, and brutalized as per the horrors of slavery in the United States. She comes from a line of resilient and capable women, but her nature is tested by the terrible nurture of her hellish surroundings. As she struggles to submit to the protocols of bondage, she finds herself connecting with the natural world and the spirits of her ancestors who appear on her path to freedom. The messages float all around and Annis isn’t always sure who to listen to. On her journey, she finds freedom on her terms with the core lesson taught by her mother: “You your own weapon.”
The author’s use of language in this book is a gift.
There is no question of the deep dive it has taken to capture the pre-emancipation world with such realism, but the pace remained a lull for me. The setting of the mood and magical realism (which is usually my fave) took precedence over the plot until near the end.
Annis’ choices brought me close to the enchantment I always hope for in the last few chapters. I was impressed, appreciative, but still firmly on this side of the veil.
Reviewed by Danielle Boursiquot, moderator
for This BrowneGirl Reads book club.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.