Publication Date September 2, 2025
I had not read Nathan Harris’s book The Sweetness of Water, but had heard enough rave reviews to know that I wanted to read his latest, Amity. Thanks to Little, Brown and NetGalley, I received a copy in exchange for my honest review. And I’m looking forward to the discussion among my neighborhood readers next month when our informal book club meets to discuss it!
One of the “club” members is a huge fan of historical fiction, and I am sure she loved it…the others, I am not so sure. And while it isn’t a 5-star for me, it is extremely well written, with terrific characters and a fascinating plot. It focuses on a brother and sister, Coleman and June, who had both been enslaved by the Harper family in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and continue to live with them after being “freed” in exchange for room and board. Although nominally emancipated, Coleman is treated cruelly by both Mrs. Harper and her daughter Florence, while June is dragged off to Mexico by Mr. Harper, where he hopes to get rich while continuing to abuse June.
Mrs. Harper and Florence get a letter that entices them to head for Mexico, so they (along with Coleman and his dog Oliver – my favorite character) head off, and along the way they deal with a shipwreck, Mexican warlords, and other challenges. In the meantime, June escapes the disgusting Mr.Harper and lands in Amity ( a Black community), where she meets and falls in love with a Black Seminole named Isaac. While the focus of the story is told from Coleman’s perspective, June’s story of the ongoing abuse she suffered and her fight for true freedom brings an extra facet to this unrolling of the story…which most of us never learned in school…both Coleman and June want to be reunited and belong in a family, which is a strong theme of the whole book.
One aspect of history that shows through is that of the members of the Confederacy who fled to Mexico to avoid their fate as a result of their participation in the Civil War. Both the former slaves and the losers of the War have a great deal to tell modern readers, and Harris does a great job conveying the pain and longing that seemingly everyone experienced.
Nathan Harris explores the years following the Civil War and examines what constitutes “freedom” when society is still determined to return former slaves to bondage. It is a fascinating story, with fantastic characters, plotting, and emotion. Four solid stars.