After the end of slavery, Rachel finds herself an "apprentice" of her former plantation master—she has to work for him for another six years. Contemplating what this new "freedom" means, she decides to find her children. Rachel travels from Barbados to British Guiana and Trinidad and embarks on a grueling journey to reunite with her five children sold to different plantations over the years.

A raw and powerful debut, RIVER explores loss and hope through a mother's quest to find her children. What moved me the most was the kindness Rachel received and reciprocated, especially the compassion and quiet strength Black & indigenous people showed towards each other. Another standout of RIVER is Shearer's profoundly moving and nuanced examination of the meaning of freedom and how it takes on different forms for various formerly enslaved people.

While the grief and loss in RIVER are palpable, the story also emphasizes hope and its healing & redemptive power. I'm a bit embarrassed to say, but I cried so much reading this book I was dehydrated and developed a mild headache