Sweetsmoke by David Fuller

Age Level: Adult
Format: Book

Note: This book is officially published in September 2008. It is on order in the Adams County Library System catalog; it may be placed on hold.

Cassius, a slave on the Sweetsmoke Plantation in tobacco country Virginia in 1862, has no idea what it means to be free. He does have a little bit more leeway than other slaves; he is his master Hoke Howard’s carpenter, which saves him from toiling in the tobacco fields like the other slaves. When Cassius learns Emoline Justice, a kindly freed black woman who helped Cassius through a very difficult period in his life several years before, is found murdered in her home, Cassius feels justified to find her killer. He soon discovers Emoline’s connection to the spy network in the area and begins a list of suspects. His obsession to find Emoline’s killer leads him to places he had never dreamed of before and allows him to slowly start thinking about the world outside slavery and what it means to be free.

This historical fiction novel by Fuller brings together elements of mystery and romance to create a fantastic historical account of slavery on a Virginia plantation. It is quite clear from the beginning of the novel that Cassius is not a regular slave – besides having fewer restrictions at Smeetsmoke than any other slave owned by Hoke Howard, he can also read and write. Though written in third person, the reader experiences everything through Cassius’ eyes as he witnesses scenes at times heart wrenching and at other times horribly graphic. I could feel his pain and suffering, his grief and his triumphs, his fears and his satisfactions. The mystery aspect of the novel has a little twist at the end, which left both Cassius and me surprised.

Fuller’s choice of writing style, providing no quotations around the slaves’ words, is very interesting. For me, it made the narrative very moving. This choice further shows the separation of slaves from whites and even freed blacks.

I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who has read a slave narrative or has an interest in Civil War fiction. Though it took me a little bit longer to read than some books I have read lately, Sweetsmoke is indeed a wonderfully powerful novel and one of the best books I have read this year.

Reviewed by Jessica