Ours: A Novel
Named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker, People, Los Angeles Times, NPR, and more
“An inventive ode to self-determination and also a surrealistic vision of Black life as forged within the crucible of American history . . . [written in] lush, ornamental prose.” —The New Yorker
“Fans of The Underground Railroad, The Water Dancer, and Let Us Descend will devour this lyrical and surreal saga.” —Oprah Daily
From a writer of singular voice and vision, a mesmerizing epic that reimagines the past to explore the true nature of freedom
In this ingenious, sweeping novel, Phillip B. Williams introduces us to an enigmatic woman named Saint, a fearsome conjurer who, in the 1830s, annihilates plantations all over Arkansas to rescue the people enslaved there. She brings those she has freed to a haven of her own creation: a town just north of St. Louis, magically concealed from outsiders, named Ours.
It is in this miraculous place that Saint’s grand experiment—a truly secluded community where her people may flourish—takes root. But although Saint does her best to protect the inhabitants of Ours, over time, her conjuring and memories begin to betray her, leaving the town vulnerable to intrusions by newcomers with powers of their own. As the cracks in Saint’s creation are exposed, some begin to wonder whether the community’s safety might be yet another form of bondage.
Set over the course of four decades and steeped in a rich tradition of American literature informed by Black surrealism, mythology, and spirituality, Ours is a stunning exploration of the possibilities and limitations of love and freedom by a writer of capacious vision and talent.
“An inventive ode to self-determination and also a surrealistic vision of Black life as forged within the crucible of American history . . . [written in] lush, ornamental prose.” —The New Yorker
“Fans of The Underground Railroad, The Water Dancer, and Let Us Descend will devour this lyrical and surreal saga.” —Oprah Daily
From a writer of singular voice and vision, a mesmerizing epic that reimagines the past to explore the true nature of freedom
In this ingenious, sweeping novel, Phillip B. Williams introduces us to an enigmatic woman named Saint, a fearsome conjurer who, in the 1830s, annihilates plantations all over Arkansas to rescue the people enslaved there. She brings those she has freed to a haven of her own creation: a town just north of St. Louis, magically concealed from outsiders, named Ours.
It is in this miraculous place that Saint’s grand experiment—a truly secluded community where her people may flourish—takes root. But although Saint does her best to protect the inhabitants of Ours, over time, her conjuring and memories begin to betray her, leaving the town vulnerable to intrusions by newcomers with powers of their own. As the cracks in Saint’s creation are exposed, some begin to wonder whether the community’s safety might be yet another form of bondage.
Set over the course of four decades and steeped in a rich tradition of American literature informed by Black surrealism, mythology, and spirituality, Ours is a stunning exploration of the possibilities and limitations of love and freedom by a writer of capacious vision and talent.
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Community Reviews
Ours is a huge, strange, magical, murder-filled book about a hidden town created by a conjure woman named Saint. She destroys plantations, rescues enslaved people, and builds Ours as a protected Black sanctuary no outsiders can find. I was curious after reading the blurb because it promised a secret town, voodoo magic, revenge, safety, freedom, and a terrifying woman with way too much power. It sounded fascinating.
Sadly, I spent most of the book confused. The characters speak like everyone swallowed a riddle book for breakfast. The plot keeps wandering into new people, secrets, deaths, and magical weirdness until I could no longer tell what the actual point was. I was interested in Saint and wanted to understand her story, anger, power, and why she treated people the way she did. Then the book kept pulling me away from her into side quests I did not care about.
Also, do not go to Ours. You will be murdered. I am only half joking because the amount of killing in this book is wild. At one point, it started giving Get Out energy because no one felt safe and everyone seemed one bad conversation away from death. The violence, curses, branding, strange magic, and secrets could have been gripping. Unfortunately, the writing was so wordy and tangled that I felt more lost than unsettled.
I can see the ambition. Williams is writing about freedom, memory, protection, trauma, and whether safety can become another form of control. Those ideas are powerful. The book just buried them under so much dense prose and shifting storylines that I struggled to connect with any of it. By the ending, I did not feel satisfied. I felt like the book basically said, “Okay, we are done visiting Ours now, so move along.”
Pick up Ours if you who love literary fiction, Afro-surrealism, magical realism, folklore, and books that care more about language and meaning than a clear plot. I wanted to love the ideas, but the reading experience did not work for me.
Loved this book so much! From the first page I was immediately hooked. It is beautifully written and you learn so much about the characters and their lives. But it's not boring or overwhelming. So many whimsical sequences that transported me to different time periods. So well-written. Already a favorite for 2026. WOW!
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