The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

I love historical fiction. I love it more when it is well researched and well written, and combines the immersion in a specific time in history with masterful storytelling that makes the reader feel like they have time traveled. With The Kitchen House, author Kathleen Grissom delivers on all counts. The tale is told through the eyes of Lavinia, a young, white, Irish orphan indentured on a tobacco plantation and placed in the care of Belle, the master’s slave daughter and her family, who not only take Lavinia in, but embrace and love her, all the while knowing she will always be the other, no matter how much Lavinia wants to belong in their world.

 The story has complex characters and a page-turner of a plot that was sometimes sad and often disturbing, but also hopeful in its message that the bonds that bind us can be so strong they can transcend race. The Kitchen House has earned a permanent place on my bookshelf. I loved this story from the first page to the last and was torn between reading nonstop to see what happened to wanting to read slowly and savor every word. If asked to describe this book, the words that immediately come to mind are: powerful, compelling, thought-provoking, and absolutely riveting. I highly recommend and can’t wait to read more from this author.