Book Review: Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge

 

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Content Warning: death, murder, violence, suicide, racism, misogyny, sexual assault, slavery.

Named after her father's dream of freedom, Libertie Sampson is born free in Kings County, New York. Her mother, Cathy, is a brilliant physician, and has a plan set in stone for Libertie's future: she, too, will attend medical school, become a doctor, and join her mother's practice. But as Libertie ages, beginning to resent her mother for the pressure she's constantly under, she instead finds her own passions, things she knows her mother will not approve of. The complex relationship between mother and daughter comes to a head when Libertie receives a proposal from a young Haitian man. Deciding that life may be better in his beautiful home country, abandoning her mother and her life in America, she sets off with him, only to discover that the freedom she's been promised by her new husband is not quite what it seems. 

Primarily character driven, giving us a look through the eyes of a young black woman born in Reconstruction-era New York, this novel is powerfully ambitious in its tangled, multilayered storylines. Though Libertie is freeborn, she still suffers under the heavy weight of various oppressions: the oppression of being a woman, of being dark-skinned with no hope of passing, of wanting a future for herself that is beyond what her mother has imagined for her. What, exactly, does freedom mean? It's a question Libertie asks herself -- and those around her -- several times throughout the narrative. Is freedom kind or good? Is freedom the option of making any choice, no matter its consequences? And can a black woman ever truly be free from the burdens heaped upon her by white people, by men, by society?

Firstly, I must applaud Greenidge for her beautiful prose and style of writing. It makes reading this story a breeze, in spite of its many heavy themes, and its rather slow pace. Incorporated into the story itself is music, poetry, letters passed between Libertie and her mother, and other additions that somehow make the story itself feel richer. I found the narration style pleasant, and for me, Libertie's voice felt very authentic -- as if it were truly written in the 1860s or 1870s. We're allowed a closeness with Libertie that helps us to understand both her shortcomings and her strengths, and also an opportunity to peer into her mind, to see how the suffocation of her position impacts her life and relationships. Speaking frankly, in the style of many literary masterpieces, there isn't exactly a "plot," per se -- but instead a tracing of Libertie's life through her childhood up until she becomes a married woman, and the daring journey she forces herself to take.

Personally speaking, I didn't mind the slightly aimless wandering of this novel, though I saw many people who found that aspect unpleasant. For me, it fit perfectly into Libertie's mentality, her keen sense of not belonging, of being lost. I did sometimes wonder where it was all going; this isn't a book that nicely cleans up its loose ends. We are left to make assumptions for ourselves about Libertie's future and the decision she finally makes at the novel's end. I like both parts in equal measure, and Greenidge makes both New York and Haiti fascinating, sort of unconscious mirror-images of one another. The best part of the novel is Libertie herself, as well as her frighteningly complicated dynamic with her mother, and I loved that Libertie was allowed to be many things: selfish, desirous, loving, lonely, angry and unsure. To me, she felt fully fleshed-out, mainly because she was flawed and therefore came across as genuine.

I debated on whether or not to give this book five stars. It came very close to five stars, but in the end, I did find myself feeling a little uncertain about what it was exactly that Greenidge was trying to express through Libertie and the characters around her. There are many themes at play here -- racism, misogyny, their intersection, what it means to be virtuous, if love can overcome pain -- but as I mentioned before, freedom is the true core of what's being discussed here. It's not something that can be categorized in any meaningful way, because it means something different for everyone. For Libertie, freedom is no more shame, no more anguish, no more hatred, the start of something that goes beyond herself and her own life. 

Sadly, I did find the portions with Emmanuel (Libertie's husband) and his dysfunctional family a little lacking, not because they weren't interesting, but because none of it ever seemed to fully form into the tempest that's been brewing. I also couldn't really tell whether Libertie loved him or not (at least, not until much later), and I found their whole whirlwind romance a touch confusing. It was odd to be so close to Libertie, and then suddenly, during her courtship with Emmanuel, it felt as if we were strangely distant from her and unable to parse her emotions or thoughts. I also would have loved for there to be a deeper aspect to her relationship with Emmanuel's twin, Ella; it seemed like perfect material for an interesting relationship, perhaps one that later allows them to reconcile their differences.

I'll finish rambling now! Let me say simply: I highly recommend Libertie, and I think of it as a treasure in the genres of historical fiction and literary fiction. Beautiful, fraught with tension and emotion, and a masterpiece in its own right (despite its flaws). I will gladly read anything else that Greenidge puts out.