The Loom by Shella Gillus

This story had me on the edge of my seat. I honestly didn't think it would end well and I so desperately wanted it to...the suspense darn near killed me.


Lydia is a slave--a very light-skinned slave. She wants freedom more than love and this leads to her leaving her husband, a slave named John, because she discovers she can pass as white and does so. This lifestyle is not without its daily fear, lies, and repercussions though. 

Good points: I like the little message within...that Lydia merely traded one life of slavery for another, that women back then were slaves, no matter their color. Only the white MEN had true freedom.

I loved the romance between her and John, though I confess I liked John more than I liked Lydia and didn't feel she deserved him.

I loved how this book made you stop and look around you and realize it isn't material things that make a body happy; it's the emotional. You can be dirt poor and find joy. You can be surrounded by luxuries and be miserable. This is something we too often forget and need reminding of.

I liked the unique story line. I enjoyed learning about most of the slaves' lives, though I was left with a lot of questions, more questions than answers.

Bad points: I truly didn't for one minute buy into how easily Lydia turned her back on her own people and switched sides. No. There's no way a slave can just step into the role of slave-owner with such ease.

While I enjoyed the side glimpses into the others' lives, they went nowhere and ended up making no sense. Abram and his healing powers? What was that for/about? Cora's parentage..who cares? What did this have to do with the story?

Lots of things just didn't make sense in the end. 1. Why didn't John just TELL Lydia the truth once he found her at Jackson's, living as a white woman? All that pain, fear, running...for NOTHING? 2. If she was so dang miserable in the white world, why did she stay? Nobody was looking for her. There was no huge slave hunt. She could have walked away just as easily as she walked onto that land. 3. Why did Henry drop dead? What from? Seriously a huge WTF  moment. His buddies are fighting and behind them, HE suddenly drops dead?

And lastly, who was Lydia's mother? Why was she so white? Her father was not a light-colored person. I sensed an opportunity for a good sub plot here that was never explored.

I do recommend this though. It was intense. Three bikes. I bought this on Amazon.