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challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Title: In the Upper Country
Author: Kai Thomas
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: January 10, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Compelling • Intricate • Enlightening
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Young Lensinda Martin is a protegee of a crusading Black journalist in mid-18th century southwestern Ontario, finding a home in a community founded by refugees from the slave-owning states of the American south—whose agents do not always stay on their side of the border.
One night, a neighbouring farmer summons Lensinda after a slave hunter is shot dead on his land by an old woman recently arrived via the Underground Railroad. When the old woman, whose name is Cash, refuses to flee before the authorities arrive, the farmer urges Lensinda to gather testimony from her before Cash is condemned.
But Cash doesn't want to confess. Instead she proposes a barter: a story for a story. And so begins an extraordinary exchange of tales that reveal the interwoven history of Canada and the United States; of Indigenous peoples from a wide swath of what is called North America and of the Black men and women brought here into slavery and their free descendents on both sides of the border.
As Cash's time runs out, Lensinda realizes she knows far less than she believed not only about the complicated tapestry of her nation, but also of her own family history. And it seems that Cash may carry a secret that could shape Lensinda's destiny.
💭 T H O U G H T S
For the past couple of years I have been doing my own personal Book of the Month project, whereby I select one new release title to prioritize each month. In the Upper Country was my January 2023 selection and while it has taken me a lot longer to get to it than I'd hoped, #Historathon2024 felt like the ideal moment to finally pick it up.
Kai Thomas has delivered a refreshing and profound novel, one detailing the Black and Indigenous relationship along the Canada/U.S. border. It's a story of interwoven histories, of land, of love, of survival and of familial upheaval starring two strong, complex female characters at its center. It's the type of story that expanded my knowledge and made me want to learn more. I greatly appreciated the author's note, which details the author's thought process in putting this narrative together and where he took creative liberties.
While the story is compelling, the structure felt disjointed and confusing at times. There definitely needed to be some way in which to identify change of voice and/or timelines in order to help the reader follow along and grasp the entirety of what this story had to offer. There were times when I didn't know whose perspective I was reading from and it would have been easy enough to include some form of simple indicator.
In the Upper Country is packed with historical detail, offers a fictional account of the interwoven stories that have shaped North America, and introduces a new voice in Canadian historical fiction. Kai Thomas is definitely an author I'd read more from in the future and will be keeping an eye on.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• North American historical fiction
• fresh perspectives
• Canadian literature
⚠️ CW: slavery, racism, racial slurs, torture, brutality, hanging, whipping, murder, violence, gun violence, kidnapping, abandonment, death, grief, child death, animal death, animal cruelty, war, colonization, rape, pregnancy, stillborn
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"For in the absence of sense, fear and violence would reign."
Author: Kai Thomas
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: January 10, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Compelling • Intricate • Enlightening
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Young Lensinda Martin is a protegee of a crusading Black journalist in mid-18th century southwestern Ontario, finding a home in a community founded by refugees from the slave-owning states of the American south—whose agents do not always stay on their side of the border.
One night, a neighbouring farmer summons Lensinda after a slave hunter is shot dead on his land by an old woman recently arrived via the Underground Railroad. When the old woman, whose name is Cash, refuses to flee before the authorities arrive, the farmer urges Lensinda to gather testimony from her before Cash is condemned.
But Cash doesn't want to confess. Instead she proposes a barter: a story for a story. And so begins an extraordinary exchange of tales that reveal the interwoven history of Canada and the United States; of Indigenous peoples from a wide swath of what is called North America and of the Black men and women brought here into slavery and their free descendents on both sides of the border.
As Cash's time runs out, Lensinda realizes she knows far less than she believed not only about the complicated tapestry of her nation, but also of her own family history. And it seems that Cash may carry a secret that could shape Lensinda's destiny.
💭 T H O U G H T S
For the past couple of years I have been doing my own personal Book of the Month project, whereby I select one new release title to prioritize each month. In the Upper Country was my January 2023 selection and while it has taken me a lot longer to get to it than I'd hoped, #Historathon2024 felt like the ideal moment to finally pick it up.
Kai Thomas has delivered a refreshing and profound novel, one detailing the Black and Indigenous relationship along the Canada/U.S. border. It's a story of interwoven histories, of land, of love, of survival and of familial upheaval starring two strong, complex female characters at its center. It's the type of story that expanded my knowledge and made me want to learn more. I greatly appreciated the author's note, which details the author's thought process in putting this narrative together and where he took creative liberties.
While the story is compelling, the structure felt disjointed and confusing at times. There definitely needed to be some way in which to identify change of voice and/or timelines in order to help the reader follow along and grasp the entirety of what this story had to offer. There were times when I didn't know whose perspective I was reading from and it would have been easy enough to include some form of simple indicator.
In the Upper Country is packed with historical detail, offers a fictional account of the interwoven stories that have shaped North America, and introduces a new voice in Canadian historical fiction. Kai Thomas is definitely an author I'd read more from in the future and will be keeping an eye on.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• North American historical fiction
• fresh perspectives
• Canadian literature
⚠️ CW: slavery, racism, racial slurs, torture, brutality, hanging, whipping, murder, violence, gun violence, kidnapping, abandonment, death, grief, child death, animal death, animal cruelty, war, colonization, rape, pregnancy, stillborn
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"For in the absence of sense, fear and violence would reign."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Murder, Colonisation
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Abandonment, War
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Rape, Pregnancy
brutality, hanging, whipping, stillborn
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a strong debut and an author I will keep an eye out for. The writing presented and complimented the story well. There were many narratives that at times made it difficult to follow the connections. Though I enjoyed the characters, I found it hard to engage with them fully. This is what I felt took away from the story. It is something that needs to be read and understood though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence
Moderate: Death, Racism, Rape, Torture, Grief, Colonisation
Minor: Kidnapping, Abandonment, War
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I would have rated higher, but the ending left a bit to be desired. I wanted more at the end. I think it was unnecessary to end on a cliff hanger when the whole story led up to what was supposed to happen. Other than that I really enjoyed the story and made me want to research greater about this time period in Canada and the relationship between black slaves fleeing the US and indigenous people of the Great Lakes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Slavery, Colonisation
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
In the Upper Country is a challenging and thought provoking piece of historical fiction looking at the connections between the United States and Canada, between Black and Indigenous peoples and the impact of colonisation. The challenge comes from the fact that there are actually two stories being told and we are moved from one to the other and back again. Figuring out the surprising connections between them is a challenge the reader gets to share with the characters. I especially enjoyed the setting, a refugee town in southwestern Ontario for Blacks fleeing slavery. I don’t think I’ve read a story set in such a community and it added a new perspective to my understanding of slavery. This story felt fresh and was undeniably well written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Slavery
Moderate: Colonisation
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Murder, Colonisation
Minor: Death, Torture, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail