Breathe To Read

Breathe To Read

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Book Challenge 2022: Own Voices Fiction or Fantasy Book: Kindred

 Book: Kindred

Author: Octavia Butler

Pages: 288


This is my 11th read for the year

This is the story of Dana - a married black woman in the 1970s who was in the middle of celebrating her 26th birthday when she was snatched away from her persent back to the1800s to rescue a young white named Rufus.  Time and time again Dana is drawn from the 1970s to Rufus' family plantation- each time she only being gone from her present a few minutes to a few hours but in the past she is there days to months.  When she returns to Rufus' time he has always aged a few years, and he has always got himself into a situation where he needs to be rescued.  Their tie is eventually revealed and Dana always fears that one time she will be brought to the past and won't be able to get back home again.  Living as a slave on Rufus' family plantation, she has her eyes opened to what it was like for her ancestors in the South and how dangerous it was for them, and now for her.

This was an okay book.  The characters fell flat for me, so it makes it hard to judge the story on a whole.  I liked the time travel premise - and Dana got more and more savvy each time she was returned to her time to make sure she was better prepared when she traveled back to the past.  But when she was there - I just could not understand some of her actions.  I really didn't like that she called Rufus "Ruf" like they were besties and he wasn't a slave owner and she one of his slaves while she was there.  The few people she trusted with her secret time travel seemed to just accept it a little to willingly.

I don't know.  Would I recommend it?  Maybe.  The story was interested enough, I just wish the characters would have been a little more developed.

Stars: 3 1/2

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