“This is war. Even our churches are making the sacrifice…Surely you do not rate your home above the houses of God?”

This is Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson: a twisting tale of trust, endurance and determination.  I was struck by the factual content, having the history lessons of the Slave Trade fresh in my mind; the novel was moving as I followed the struggles Isabel, a thirteen year-old girl, is encountering on her passage as a slave to a family named the Locktons.

Isabel and her younger sister, Ruth, are sold off and shipped to New York after their mother dies, plunging them into depression and darkness. Nevertheless, Isabel is determined to keep her promise of safeguarding her sister.

At times I found the novel almost painful to read, not due to Halse Anderson’s style of writing, but since the book is written in first person from Isabel’s perspective. It felt like the volatile New York family were accusing and confronting me directly – were it not for the fact Isabel was a young girl!  

“I require you, girl,” she said….

… “Ma’am?” I asked.

Madam came back into the kitchen carrying a silver tray. She shoved it into my arms. “You will serve you master and his companions.”  …

… “Be quiet, Becky,” she snapped. “You have the manners of a donkey…”

To conclude, I found this book the best I have read so far. Halse Anderson creatively turned fiction into a captivating novel. I have to say, history is not my strong point, but that is not a problem to appreciate the hardships Isabel and Ruth go through to achieve their freedom. After all, as many other reviews have stated: “If an entire nation can seek its freedom, why not a girl?”