The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom is a powerful and disturbing novel. Set in the South at the end of the 18th century, a seven year old Irish girl, Lavinia is orphaned during the sea crossing to America. She is taken in by the Captain and given to his slaves in the kitchen house to raise her and serve their family. Boundaries get confused as she grows into the white woman she becomes and can no longer live with the black family who raised her.
This is a painful and tragic novel, well researched and based on actual events. Grissom does a wonderful job of bringing the story to life so we can bear witness to one of the most shameful periods of our history. However, there is so much love and hope, courage and loyalty in these pages, amidst all the tragedy, that through it all, this novel shines.
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