Free

by Marsha Hunt

The title of Marsha Hunt's extraordinary second novel is imbued with the cruelest irony - and the deepest longing. The time is 1913 - fifty years after Lincoln freed the slaves. But in the genteel community of Germantown, Pennsylvania, freedom is the hollowest of words. Certainly there is no freedom from the shackles of oppression for Theodore "Teenotchy" Simms, a black stableboy at the elegant Holybrook manor, in this pre-World War I enclave of unquestioned privilege. He is haunted by the memory of the beauty of his mother and the terrible violation of her death. He is shadowed as well by the shame of his birth - a shame he doesn't understand but forever feels. He can only seek to fit in, to fade into the invisibility whites are more than willing to grant him, until a white man with a secret shame of his own cuts off this avenue of escape and forces Teenotchy to confront his destiny and himself. This man is Alexander Blake, a young English aristocrat on a visit to his aunt and her American husband - a household where the pride and prejudices of the antebellum South flourish on northern soil. In the sweltering heat of a Germantown summer, Alexander's interest in the black stableboy, who is clearly meant for something far better in life, blossoms into an emotion as irresistible as it is dangerous - both for Alexander, who cannot stop it from happening, and for Teenotchy, who for the first time in his life finds himself worthy in the eyes of another. Novelist Marsha Hunt achieves near-Faulknerian intensity and complexity as she blends past and present, human guilt and human endurance in this beautifully woven tale. Whether vividly depicting the savage subjugation of slavery or the different kind of savagery that was its legacy, whether portraying the separate worlds and inner lives of blacks or whites, the author displays a clarity of vision and a beautiful yet powerful simplicity of language. With characters who will burn indelibly into your memory, this poignan

Genres: Fiction

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

American-born singer, actress and writer who grew up in Philadelphia, she studied at the University of California, Berkeley, during the student riots of the 1960s but shortly afterwards went to Europe. [...] In London she made her name in the hit musical Hair, Her celebrated career that followed includes fifteen years in rock music, work in radio, on stage and screen. She has been a member of the Royal National Theatre (1983-6) and the Royal Shakespeare Company (1989).

(from Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby)

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly love this book. Hunt has created an amazing cast of characters, each of them with a background that she delves into, but only to the point necessary to understand their motivations. The story is very moving and she puts you right in the time and place. I learned a great deal about the history of the US and condition of the Freemen, who were still bound in every way by the racism of their country. Highly recommended for those who want a good story as well as characters that force you to think and understand why they act the way they do.