Title: Indigo Author: Beverly Jenkins
Published: August 20, 2000
Genre(s): Romance: Historical
Page Count: 372
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:As a child Hester Wyatt escaped slavery, but now the dark skinned beauty is a dedicated member of Michigan's Underground railroad, offering other runaways a chance at the freedom she has learned to love. When one of her fellow conductors brings her an injured man to hide, Hester doesn't hesitate even after she is told about the price on his head. The man in question is the great conductor known as the "Black Daniel" a vital member of the north's Underground railroad network, but Hester finds him so rude and arrogant, she begins to question her vow to hide him.
When the injured and beaten Galen Vachon, aka, the Black Daniel awakens in Hester's cellar, he is unprepared for the feisty young conductor providing his care. As a member of one of the wealthiest free Black families in New Orleans, Galen has turned his back on the lavish living he is accustomed to in order to provide freedom to those enslaved in the south. However, as he heals he cannot turn his back on Hester Wyatt. Her innocence fills him like a breath of fresh air and he is determined to make her his, but traitors have to be found, slave catchers have to be routed and Hester's refusal to trust her own heart have to be overcome before she and Galen can find the freedom only love can bring.
Queen Beverly Jenkins, Slayer of Words and All-Around First Lady of Romancelandia—her reputation precedes her, and rightfully so. Everything I know about her as a person inspires a lot of respect. She’s a lovely human being. (AND she Skyped into my African American Women’s Lit class in undergrad, which was wonderful.)
Notwithstanding her newer work, I’ve always had the impression that Indigo was Jenkins’ best book, or at least the one that’s been talked about most often to me. So, I got my butt into gear and picked it up!
In sum: Indigo is a very strong novel, but its plot suffers from a lack of direction in the second half. Because of this, it wasn’t my favorite thing ever—the novel can almost be split into two distinct stories, which is confusing—but boy if I didn’t LOVE what Jenkins did here otherwise.
So, let’s see. Hester Wyatt is a former slave, who was rescued/bought out of the South by her maiden aunt in Michigan. Hester’s aunt also worked with the Underground Railroad to help fugitive slaves escape to freedom, usually in Canada. When Indigo opens, Hester’s aunt has died, but Hester is keeping true to her memory and continues her work with the Railroad. One dark and stormy night, Hester unexpectedly winds up with an unconscious man in her cellar. This man is none other than the Black Daniel, another conductor for the Railroad, who has a price on his head because of all the slaves he’s “stolen” from the South. Hester is prim, proper, and headstrong, and the Black Daniel is suave, sensual, and arrogant.
…I think we all see where this is going, right?
Yeah, I thought I knew, too.
Indigo starts off so great. There’s tension between Hester and the mysterious Black Daniel, and also external tension due to the dangerous nature of their work with the Underground Railroad. Somebody in town sold out the Black Daniel, so obviously it’s important to discover the traitor’s identity. So, obviously, a really great story, and it’s told really well because Beverly Jenkins absolutely knows what she’s doing. I really love the way the “historical” aspect of this historical romance is not glossed over. There’s lots of little facts and details spread throughout the book that give this a lot of depth and make it feel very authentic. I love that.
However, the Indigo I’ve just described is not really what this book is. Halfway through the book, the entire focus and tone of the plot shifts, and I was A) confused and B) not exactly there for it. Suddenly it turns out Galen (AKA the Black Daniel) is extremely wealthy Creole royalty from New Orleans, and he’s moved into town for the sole purpose of seducing/marrying Hester. Hester protests, but we know that Galen’s going to get what he wants. The situation with the slave catchers and the traitor and the Underground Railroad takes a backseat to the romance, which is fine, except the romance doesn’t have any real obstacles, so it’s like all the wind is stolen from Jenkins’ sails.
Now, the action does pick up right before the end, but it was kind of clunky and weird. I really liked where Hester and Galen ended up, but it wasn’t neatly executed, in my opinion. The very last chapter is just an info-dump of the events regarding John Brown and Harper’s Ferry, which aren’t even tangentially related to Hester and Galen’s story, except as historical context. It just felt…off. I dunno.
I read another review which described Indigo as having an identity crisis, and I think that’s spot-on. The book seriously seems like it’s headed full speed in one direction (an exciting one!) but then stops and twiddles its thumbs for several chapters before continuing. Very disconcerting.
