Yonder

Reviews

"Chameleonic writer Asim’s second novel after A Taste of Honey (2010) gets historical with a cast
of enslaved Black characters—searingly called the Stolen, their white enslavers rightfully are
Thieves—who attempt to survive the atrocities of the antebellum South. “All of us have two
tongues,” Janina Edwards opens as the narrator. “The first is for them. A broken joke of
language . . . The second is for us. It is a song of dreams and drums, whispered promises and
incantations.” And yet for each of the Stolen, the intimacy of their communications with each
other “can bring us to ruin,” risking vulnerabilities that reveal fears, desperation, joy, and most
especially love. Each of the remarkable, seasoned narrators seems well aware how the stunning
beauty of Asim’s lyrical writing ironically serves to amplify the brutality woven throughout. Adam
Lazarre White is measured William, who, driven by an inner strength, leans toward a gentleness
nurtured by his love for Margaret, who is at turns desperate and determined in Joniece Abbott-
Pratt’s presentation. JD Jackson aches as soulful Cato. Lamarr Gulley inspires both suspicion
and hope as freedom-encouraging Preacher Ransom. A single production quibble looms: that
rare who-read-whom would have added closing excellence." "This is the beautiful story, painful in many places, of Cato and William, two enslaved men who meet in unimaginable conditions with the promise of freedom on the horizon. A talented cast, made up of Joniece Abbott–Pratt, Lamarr Gulley, JD Jackson, Adam Lazarre–White, Imani Jade Powers, and Janina Edwards, rise to the challenge of fleshing out the pain and beauty at the heart of this novel. Each narrator unflinchingly describes harsh conditions, separations of parents from children, and casual brutalities. Lazarre–White, Jackson, and Gulley provide rich baritones laced with soft Southern accents for the male characters. Abott–Pratt, Powers, and Edwards portray the strong, suffering women. Listeners will want to keep in mind the mature nature of this content and where they play these chapters." Expand reviews