Based on the true story of the author's great-great grand-parents the book follows Sarah who is a house slave, ripped away from her family to work at Jubilee plantation and Henry O'Toole who leaves Ireland to escape the famine, only to lose his family and find the "free" America not the opening and welcoming land he expected. Although Henry faces considerable anti-Irish sentiment, it is only when he meets Sarah that he begins to understand how much freedom he has and how much suffering and pain can be inflicted upon a person. Through their relationship he begins to finally grapple with the harsh realities of slavery in America.

The novel is predominantly a love story, however the romance is embedded cleverly in a much broader narrative that examines race, identity and the quest for freedom. This means there are quite a few poignant scenes between Henry and Sarah that really contrast their positions in society and the difficulties they face. One moment that stood out was where Henry was hired to make the chains that restrain the slaves. This moment really symbolised his ignorance, as whether Henry believed in the system or not, he was enabling it. It leads Sarah to pull away from their budding relationship and question her interest in Henry. This is the real strength of the novel as it focuses on the emotional pain of the characters over the violence perpetrated against them.

The novel itself is drawn out over several months and this prolonged period serves to build a more realistic and beautiful relationship between Sarah and Henry. It also immerses the reader into everyday plantation life and brings out the stories of the other slaves such as Red and Bessie.

The narrative splits between Sarah, Henry and Maple. Maple is another house slave at Jubilee plantation, although her family identity is much more complicated. And although she serves to represent all those who stand against Sarah and Henry's love, and often attempts to come between them. Her perspective offers a much more telling and unsettling exploration of family, tragedy and identity.

This book was incredibly emotional, compelling and very multifaceted. It's beautifully written and so very readable despite the heavy topic. It appears as a love story and delivers so much more with themes of love, identity, race, and the desire and courage to fight for what is right. I can't wait to see more from Tammye Huf in the future as this was a really strong debut.

Thank you to the publishers for the review copy.