When the Reckoning Comes
Books | Fiction / African American & Black / Women
3.9
LaTanya McQueen
"LaTanya McQueen's When The Reckoning Comes is so deliciously uncomfortable there were moments where I had to put the book down, take a deep breath, and like Mira, its protagonist, urge myself to go further. This is a novel, like Octavia Butler's Kindred, that reminds its readers that as long as people don't acknowledge how much of the past still shapes the present, it will bring its whips, its hatchets, and fists to make us learn." — Megan Giddings, author of LakewoodA haunting novel about a black woman who returns to her hometown for a plantation wedding and the horror that ensues as she reconnects with the blood-soaked history of the land and the best friends she left behind.More than a decade ago, Mira fled her small, segregated hometown in the south to forget. With every mile she traveled, she distanced herself from her past: from her best friend Celine, mocked by their town as the only white girl with black friends; from her old neighborhood; from the eerie Woodsman plantation rumored to be haunted by the spirits of slaves; from the terrifying memory of a ghost she saw that terrible day when a dare-gone-wrong almost got Jesse—the boy she secretly loved—arrested for murder.But now Mira is back in Kipsen to attend Celine’s wedding at the plantation, which has been transformed into a lush vacation resort. Mira hopes to reconnect with her friends, and especially, Jesse, to finally tell him the truth about her feelings and the events of that devastating long-ago day.But for all its fancy renovations, the Woodsman remains a monument to its oppressive racist history. The bar serves antebellum drinks, entertainment includes horrifying reenactments, and the service staff is nearly all black. Yet the darkest elements of the plantation’s past have been carefully erased—rumors that slaves were tortured mercilessly and that ghosts roam the lands, seeking vengeance on the descendants of those who tormented them, which includes most of the wedding guests. As the weekend unfolds, Mira, Jesse, and Celine are forced to acknowledge their history together, and to save themselves from what is to come.
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Author
LaTanya McQueen
Pages
252
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published Date
2021-08-03
ISBN
0063035057 9780063035058
Community ReviewsSee all
"3.25⭐️ This was such a great idea for a premise. Placing the true to life horrors of racism - enslavement, torture and murder - front and center in a work of genre fiction. This book deftly gets the message across that there’s nothing more horrific than the true reality experienced by generations of African Americans. The idea of ghostly revenge is pure genius.
The problem however was that everything around it wasn’t developed in a way with which to meaningfully connect. Even given their flashbacks the present day characters lacked dimension so I couldn’t feel any deep emotional reactions for them. The writing also feels awkward at times which leads to a lack of cohesion and some things not making sense.
There are moments though. The plantation resort was grotesquely creepy and the horror scenes truly terrifying. So there is something there. I’ll definitely check out other works by this author in hopes of unique stories such as this with added depth and dimension."
Sher Free✌️
"Such a tragic merging of the tales of slavery and the racism of today. This is a story that sticks with you. I unintentionally learned a lot reading this book and it was totally heartbreaking. "
Tre
"Was very disappointed in this book. What could have been a revelation on the realities of slavery and it's long term effects on generatios turns into a farce of caricatures and stereotypes. All the black characters are portrayed as hard working and responsible while the white people are portrayed as shallow and superficial. There is no rounding out of any character, not even the main characters. I didn't feel haunted nor did it give me a good sense of the trials of slavery. Rather I felt as if I was reading a farce on a very serious and important topic. Written in a rather juvenile style I would still be hesitant to recommend this to even a teen, let aline an adult. I won't be reading anything else by this author."
Melodilynn
