About the book

Author: Butler, Octavia E. (1947-2006)

Title: Kindred.

Publication: Boston : Beacon Press, 2003. ISBN 9781449876814.

DAISY audio format narrated by Kim Staunton. CELA library call number DA46431. 306 pages in the paperback edition; 10 hrs., 55 min. as a recorded book.

About the story

This is the story of Dana, a young African-American woman living in California in 1976, who is mysteriously and uncontrollably called to Maryland, circa 1815, to save the life of a white slave-owner. It is an exciting, compassionate, tragic story.

Be warned, the violence is graphic, and the 19th-century language is shocking to modern ears. It is NOT always easy to listen to this book.

Dana’s visits, which take little or no time in the modern world, last from hours to months in the past. As she comes to know the enslaved people and their masters over a period of more than 20 years, readers come to understand the complex and dangerous society of the time. The characters are superbly drawn. The plot is riveting, and the reader comes to care deeply about the people in the story.

To say I enjoyed the book in not quite accurate, but I could not put it down. It is well-written and marvellously paced. I will definitely look for more books by this author, an award-winning science-fiction writer with whom I was unfamiliar. The narrator, Kim Staunton, was excellent and her voice suited the material very well.

It’s an important book, but it does contain scenes of graphic violence and strong language.