The Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson
A Review By: SB
Born on a plantation in Charles City, Virginia, Pheby Delores Brown has lived a relatively sheltered life. Shielded by her mother’s position as the estate’s medicine woman and cherished by the Master’s sister, she is set apart from the others on the plantation, belonging to neither world.
She’d been promised freedom on her eighteenth birthday, but instead of the idyllic life she imagined with her true love, Essex Henry, Pheby is forced to leave the only home she has ever known. She unexpectedly finds herself thrust into the bowels of slavery at the infamous Devil’s Half Acre, a jail in Richmond, Virginia, where the enslaved are broken, tortured, and sold every day. There, Pheby is exposed not just to her jailer’s cruelty but also to his contradictions. To survive, Pheby will have to outwit him, and she soon faces the ultimate sacrifice.
Review Notes:
Audio Book Publication Year: 2021
An installment in a Series? No
Narrator (s): Robin Miles
This story was enthralling, captivating, torturous, and loving. This historical fiction is based on true events that occurred in American history. Pheby is the daughter of the plantation owner with his slave. She is raised rungs above slaves but that does not stop the mistress of the manor from selling her the first chance she gets. Pheby’s and Essex’s love is pure and endures through broken promises and missed opportunities. Love wins even though it doesn’t occur as the reader may expect it to.
Sadeqa has whetted my appetite to find out more about the Devil’s Half Acre and the cruelty inflicted on a people because of their skin color. These stories must be told even when others work to erase history from the books. Robin Miles’ performance of this novel is haunting and exhilarating. Her performance captivated me from beginning to end.
Reading Recommendation? Yes!
Rating: 4 (It's lit!)
Content Warnings? Human or animal loss, Physical abuse/violence, Sexual abuse/violence
