The Known World

Edward P. Jones

This book was a puzzler. It is historical in nature, taking place in the South before the Civil War. And it follows, to some degree, many of the characters and happenings in the region for decades. But it is not a linear storyline and the way he segues into the future or past, from a very here and now story spot can be confusing.

The characters are haunting, however, and reveal themselves slowly.

The book's primary characters are black, some slaves, some free, and some in a kind of limbo in between. And shockingly, the main characters are free but own slaves themselves -- setting up a moral quagmire that is compelling.