Review: Sweetsmoke, by David Fuller

Sweetsmoke Plantation is a Virginia tobacco plantation. The Civil War rages on in the background. Cassius Howard, a slave on this plantation, risks his life to avenge the murder of Emoline Justice, a freed slave. Emoline saved Cassius’ life after his wife died and his son was torn away from him, and became his surrogate mother. During his stay with her, she taught him how to read and write. Cassius uses this forbidden skill to his advantage and leaves the plantation to search for Emoline’s murderer. The amount of research Fuller put into this work is very evident. We learn about slave customs, including marriage and social standings. This book is not only a story of a search of vengeance, but a history lesson as well. I don’t recall ever reading a book that delved so deeply into the slave world of the Civil War South. Fuller’s vivid descriptions and detail of the characters is probably the biggest asset. We discover so much about the characters of Howard Hoke, the plantation owner, Cassius Howard, Emoline Justice, and the slaves of Sweetsmoke that we feel as though we know them personally. We feel their pain and we suffer along with them. I was lucky enough to obtain an early release copy of this book, and I am forever grateful. I have no doubt that this novel will soon join the ranks as an amazing piece of Civil War fiction like The March and Gone with the Wind.