Let Us Descend tells the story of Annis, a slave, and the horrors inflicted upon her during her life and quest for freedom.
I’ve struggled writing these thoughts because this is not an easy story. Jesmyn Ward, in her fourth novel, does not sugar coat slavery. This isn’t Margaret Mitchell’s south. There was nothing cheerful, humorous or beneficial for black people. The beatings, the destruction of families, the rape, the starvation and more all occurred at the whim of white people.
Yet, there is a twist to Anniss’s story. You see spirits of all sorts inhabit Annis’s world. They support her, frighten her, abuse her and help her. So while you have to suspend belief to accept this reality, you also are forced to fully face the reality that was slavery.
It’s strange though, as I write this, I wonder if we’re not meant to believe a world inhabited by spirits? Or instead, these spirits represent a coping mechanism created by Annis to survive the horrors? Just another lingering thought from reading this book.
Regardless, my point is this is not an easy story. I don’t want to say I loved it. Like Killers of the Flower Moon, you don’t want to love a story of abuse, murder, genocide. But authors must tell these stories and we must read them. So I will say some people will appreciate this story. Others will not.
My Thoughts
I appreciated Let Us Descend.
Ms. Ward writes beautifully, almost poetically. She creates images so thorough, I felt mist on my arms, mud on my feet, wounds on my body.
I smelled the scent of the woods, the stench of sickness, the smell of cooking.
I saw the rivers rushing, crowded streets of the city, the stars at night.
I heard the barks of dogs in chase, the screech of wounded women, the soft whispers of a lover.
It took a bit for me to be fully absorbed by the story. Each night for a week, as I climbed in bed, I promised, tonight I will read something … lighter. Yet after I read a page or two of Let Us Descend, I found me reading more and more. Until the last two nights, when I plowed through the last third of the book. It quietly grabbed me and would not let go.
When it comes down to my rating, I go between 4 and 5 stars. Let’s call it 4.5.