The events of the book force her to grapple with her identity, and what it really means for her to be black in America. She lives in a liminal space, betwixt and between, until the war literally arrives on her doorstep and she becomes visible to the Confederacy. However, she has been extremely sheltered – or controlled – for her own safety her world, though privileged, has been narrow. Marlie is a free black living with her father’s (white) family, where she is basically treated as a family member. But they are not in the kinds of protagonists that I find eye-rollingly moral – they are also complicated people. Marlie and Ewan are thoughtful nerds with strong convictions about right and wrong and a commitment to justice. Even though I loved the protagonists, and thought the subplot of anti-Confederate activity in the South was both interesting and an important corrective to how the Civil War is frequently remembered, and found the writing engaging, this book didn’t quite click for me, and I’m not sure why. On finishing A Hope Divided, I felt a vague dissatisfaction. Heat Factor: Trying to stay alive leaves little time for loving
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