As soon as I found out that All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore is a Black historical fiction novel, I went straight to my library account and requested a copy. Thankfully, it only took a week or so to arrive, and I am only too eager to get stuck into it and get immersed in this intense 1830s tale told from multiple gripping perspectives.

Philadelphia, 1837. After Charlotte escaped from the crumbling White Oaks plantation down South, she expected freedom to feel different from her former life as an enslaved housemaid. After all, Philadelphia is supposed to be the birthplace of American liberty. Instead, she’s locked away playing servant to her white-passing father, as they both attempt to hide their identities from slavecatchers who would destroy their new lives. Longing to break away, Charlotte befriends Nell, a budding abolitionist from one of Philadelphia’s wealthiest Black families. Just as Charlotte starts to envision a future, a familiar face from her past reappears: Evie, her friend from White Oaks, has been brought to the city by the plantation mistress, and she’s desperate to escape. But as Charlotte and Nell conspire to rescue her, in a city engulfed by race riots and attacks on abolitionists, they soon discover that fighting for Evie’s freedom may cost them their own.

I don’t need to tell you how significant these perspectives are, not only as voices from a time in American history that is still felt to this day, but as voices to be considered in the greater history of America when they otherwise would have been forgotten. Black women have always had the short end of the stick, so seeing this impressive story from a debut Black author about Black women at a time in history when they were treated as property is an incredible thing. This novel serves as another touchstone of the Black women’s experience, something that has long been neglected in literature and society.

The tension is taut from the beginning, starting us off in the heat of it all, no easing into the drama in the slightest. I appreciate this a lot because if youunderstand human behaviour and history, you know there really was no point where Black people had it easy. There was also violence and hatred around the corner, so for these characters to be introduced to us in the way they were made perfect sense to me. It also made the narrative immediately compelling to me, as the political and social changes at the heart of the matter come with great conflict and retaliation, making for a rich, emotive, and charged narrative waiting to unfold.

These characters are so vivid and different, making the interactions and dialogue so interesting to me. The different upbringings and experiences of each woman shape their outlook, and that, in turn, crafts the personality and characteristics of each woman in a way that is true to their characters, yet diverging from the others. I need to give props here, and this is going to sound really silly, so stick with me, but I don’t think I could have felt as drawn into this story world and the characters’ lives if they felt like the same person. Charlotte, Evie, and Nell all have their unique feel and voices, and they carry their own internal and external influences that differ from the others’, making the plot lush in its character depth and layers. I shouldn’t have to praise this diversity in characters, but it makes such a difference that each woman feels like a real person and not just an echo of one another.

I know All We Were Promised is going to drag me down into the depths of its story and leave me forever changed, and I cannot wait to see how I am made anew by this novel. I strongly believe this will be one of those historical fiction novels that becomes a favourite in my heart. I highly encourage all you historical fiction lovers out there to pick this up and spend the evening curled up reading it. It may not be exactly right for you, but it is a worthwhile read nevertheless.