The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd 4,25/5 Awards: Florida Book Award for General Fiction – Gold (2014), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Historical Fiction (2014), Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 Selection (January 2014) Français: L’invention des ailes *Thank you to CI for the insanely useful feedback. Check out her blog: http://deraiheji.com Summary Hetty “Handful” Grimké, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimké household. The Grimké’s daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is meant to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women. Kidd’s sweeping novel is set in motion on Sarah’s eleventh birthday, when she is given ownership of ten-year old Handful, who is to be her handmaid. We follow their remarkable journeys over the next thirty-five years, as both strive for a life of their own, dramatically shaping each other’s destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love. As the stories build to a riveting climax, Handful will endure loss and sorrow, finding courage and a sense of self in the process. Sarah will experience crushed hopes, betrayal, unrequited love, and ostracism before leaving Charleston to find her place alongside her fearless younger sister, Angelina, as one of the early pioneers in the abolition and women’s rights movements. Inspired by the historical figure of Sarah Grimké, Kidd goes beyond the record to flesh out the rich interior lives of all of her characters, both real and invented, including Handful’s cunning mother, Charlotte, who courts danger in her search for something better. My thoughts After my disastrous experience with Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future last week, I was still looking to quench my thirst for a good “social justice warrior” novel. Fortunately for me, The Invention of Wings had been sitting on my to-be-read shelf for about a year after I picked it up at a “take one, leave one” stand in Toronto. I had vaguely heard about The Invention of Wings and I knew it was about slavery in pre-Civil War America. While this is one of literature’s favorite settings, it is an era that is rarely found on my shelves. However, after watching “Dear White People” on Netflix and seeing a drastic increase in the news media of stories about racism in the United States particularly, I realized how shameful it was that I did not know more about such an important part of American History, debatably even World History. Shows like “Dear White People” and “Black-ish” base themselves in factful evidence and real-life experiences of Black people and have motivated movements like Black Lives Matter. I wanted to learn what lead to these movements, where do they come from, who started them and what makes them so necessary to society. To me, The Invention of Wings stands in the same category as To Kill a Mockingbird. It is about slavery and the abolitionist movement, but it is also about resilience, courage and determination. The novel follows two protagonists, Sarah, an abolitionist from the upper-class, and her slave, Hetty “Handful”. The chapters alternate between the two points of view beautifully, and each have their own distinct voices. There was never confusion in guessing whose chapter is was, even when both girls were living under the same roof. Sarah Gimké and her sister Angelina were real historical figures as Kidd explains in her extensive Author’s Note. I feel like this sense of reality transgressed into Kidd’s writing and made Sarah’s chapters more compelling. Obviously, this is an entirely subjective preference influenced by my own path. Both characters felt complete and incredibly human. Handful’s chapters were sometimes so graphic of the horrors of slave treatment that I could simply not wrap my mind that these atrocities truly happened. As I read her words about the Guard House, a place where “disobedient” slaves would go to suffer punishment if they were caught by the police, a temporary work camp of sort if you will, deeply shocked me. I was ashamed that I did not know about this which made Handful’s chapter simultaneously instructive and horrific. While Sarah and Handful drive the story, there is a plethora of secondary characters that come complete it. I absolutely adored Charlotte, Handful’s mother. There are few things that I respect more than when a person fights for their convictions, and Charlotte was the fiercest warrior of them all. While the characters made the story, the plot development and the pacing deserve special mention. Often times in double narration novels, the pacing seems off as if there was either too many things happening at the same time or as if there was one character that did not stand out as much as the other. The pacing of The Invention of Wings was superb. When a significant event happened to a character, there was no competition to see whose story was sadder. Each complimented each other wonderfully and stood out in their own individual way. However, this sort of dual POV is not the most original thing. There was plenty of novels out there that tackle the same issues with that same optic of owner-servant. I would’ve liked a little more innovation. The novel is also exceptionally well researched. It overflows with contextual events and accurate practices that will make shake you to the bottom of your soul. I shall end with the moment that struck the deepest cord with me (no spoilers, I swear!) One day, Sarah finds Handful bathing in her bath. No need to say that this type of behavior is clearly forbidden. Sarah has always preached that slavery was a terrible institution, but, during this small event, she struggles to see her words match her actions. She instantly feels confused as she sees what a world without slavery might look like. I feel like this situation still resonates in today’s context. In a perfect world, we would already all be equal, but for now those of us of uphold these principles to equality and community sometimes struggle to put these actions in practice when the forces working against us are so strong. How do we help our fellow citizens who are discriminated against every day for the color of their skin? How can we prevent them from getting shot by racially-biased police? How do we fix the justice system which incarcerates them for minor offenses? I do not have the answers. At least, after reading The Invention of Wings, I understand a little bit better the past. There is still so much to cover, so many rocks let unturned, but books have always helped us grow our compassion. By understanding and acknowledging past struggles, we can finally start working on long-lasting, empowering and inclusive solutions. If you liked The Invention of Wings, you will love… To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers Tolstoy, Rapustin, Others and Me by Teffi
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