RUNNING OUT OF NIGHT

Lively characterization and an intimate portrait of the natural world enrich this tale of an abused white girl in antebellum Virginia who shelters, then joins an enslaved runaway in search of freedom.

Known only as “girl” to Pa and her brothers, the narrator leads a life that makes Cinderella’s seem like a sinecure. Joining Zenobia, who’s seen her own family separated and sold, isn’t a hard call. Their journey, closely pursued by Pa and others determined to find the runaway and collect the large reward, is harrowing—also empowering. Life as a drudge has given Lark, as Zenobia names her, the practical skill set they’ll need to evade thunderstorms, copperheads and slave hunters, among other antagonists. They find allies, too: other runaways and an abolitionist Quaker community. Lark’s vivid and compelling, her dialect convincing. Lovejoy’s sometimes-quirky knowledge of local history and extraordinary gift for writing about nature flavor the story, lending authenticity to Lark’s closely observed world and informing the ingenious plot. One issue is troubling: Readers are invited throughout to compare the girls, to see Lark’s pre-escape life as no better than slavery, an analog to it. While suggesting equivalency might help white readers identify with black characters, this device subtly downplays the enormous differences in their statuses in a society whose economy, laws and culture rested on those differences.

Lush, detailed, total-immersion storytelling.