Rating: ★★★★★
Look outside as you speak through, and you’ll find the true face of America.
Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation, abandoned by her mother who fled years before, and an outcast among her fellow slaves. When Caesar asks her to run away with him, he is hoping her mother’s success in running away will rub off on him. What follows is not a story of luck, but a story of adventure, twists, and tragedy.
In this novel, the Underground Railway is a real railway, hidden beneath houses and transporting runaways from state to state. Cora’s journeys on the underground trains transport her around America, where she meets friends, enemies and finds love. Along the way, running from slave catchers and towards freedom, she constantly wonders what it is to be free and whether she will ever cease to be chattel.
The writing in this book is fantastic and the author did a great job in bringing Cora and the other characters to life. The presentation of the railway as a real railway was an act of genius and brought an otherworldly element to a harrowing tale set during horrific circumstances, and the metaphor of a journey through the darkness, carving one’s own tunnel and underground escapes was a fantastic idea. On top of this, Cora was a character who you can really get behind whilst still being complex and layered. I felt my heartstrings being tugged in all directions by the story and was reflecting on this tale for days after finishing.
QOTD: have you read The Underground Railroad? What did you think of it?
Ink Drops Books 