Rootwork is set in 1889 Louisiana, and is written from the perspectives of three sisters – Ann, Betty, and Pee Wee – living in a bayou parish community with their parents and just down the way from their aunty Teddy, a skilled hoodoo practitioner. The novella focuses both on the community and family’s interactions with the local sheriff – a racist misogynist whose abuses are widely known – in the wake of a tragedy, and with the sisters’ introduction to hoodoo and family traditions with aunty Teddy. 

 

There is so much that is fantastic about this novella – the character development is nuanced and thoughtful and each sister feels wholly distinct, the setting comes alive, and I was emotionally invested from the beginning. After finishing Rootwork, I immediately purchased the sequel. I definitely recommend this novella for readers of historical fiction (the first genre listed is ‘horror’ and this doesn’t read like primarily horror to me – there are certainly scary aspects, but it is also a story of family, justice, tradition, and faith). 

 

Content warnings: violence, gun violence, murder, body horror, blood, medical content, racism, racial slurs, grief, death, death of a parent, animal cruelty, animal death, mentions of sexual assault (not on page or graphic)