A sprawling tale of the complex and extremely bloody history of the melting pot that was early 17th century Haiti. It’s a seething brew of the indigenous people of Haiti, slaves brought from Africa to work the sugar plantations, and the various European settlers from Spain, England, and especially France. And although Haiti was a colony of France at the time, the French were not at all a cohesive group – there were at least three groups of French since this is the period of the French Revolution and then the emergence of Napoléon Bonaparte. You had your <i>grandes blancs</i>, the owners of the plantations, the <i>petits blancs</i>, the non-aristoctratic whites such as merchants and tradesmen, and the <i>affranchises</i>, all ranked by the amount of white blood in their veins. They didn’t have as much political power, but many of them had a considerable amount of money, which caused friction with the other two groups. Throw into that the results of the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon, and it was a recipe for political turmoil.
The protagonist is Tété, daughter of a slave and a plantation owner. She is fortunate enough as a child to be brought from the fields to the tutelage of Tante Rose, a knowledgeable herbal healer. We follow her story from the days of the bloody turmoil in Haiti, to Cuba, and then finally New Orleans, populated by all the above, but dominated by the Creoles. Since this is set prior to the Louisiana Purchase, there are only a few Americans are to be seen as well. So there are revolts and uprisings left and right, and bloodshed galore.
The story, however, is centered on the women involved. French, Spanish, Creole, and mixed race, all of them in various differing economic circumstances. They are enemies, devoted friends, and every step in between, and their lives are often dictated by the men. But they are the force to be reckoned with in this world.
