Remember Remember set in London and St Lucia

Submitted: 3rd November 2024

Remember Remember

What book could be better to read than something based on or inspired by the Gunpowder plot? This is an alternative reading experience as we are not with the main perpetrators of the actual plot but those involved in the slave trade at the time.

And I found a signed copy in a cute bookshop in Edinburgh so I bought it!

Map of locations in Remember Remember

Remember Remember set in London and St Lucia

BOARDING PASS INFORMATION

Destination : London, St Lucia

Author guide: Elle Machray

Genre: historical

Food and drink to accompany: something on the BBQ?

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A novel to transport you to 1770s London

Map of locations in Remember Remember

I had a feeling this was going to be good and it was. I wanted to read more about the slave trade but have read a few books that feel similar. This one felt very unique and insightful.

The themes of the book are very serious – not that the plot to blow up parliament wasn’t – and it’s inspired by the real life tale of a man named James Somerset who was supposed to be transported to a slave colony in St Lucia but he refused. This has the feels of Amistaad for me since it’s a novel centered on the lack of justice and the struggle for it. Vincent is the man in question who thinks his lord and master will give him his freedom. However, he is forced to go down the legal route instead.

I loved how this was inspired by a real case as it made it all the more insightful and…well, horrific. Some scenes were violent and awful but the author was careful with that – telling you and showing you without it being too much. Still, it’s very much a major part of the story – this cold unjust world that Black people faced.

It’s quite epic in scope and the language perfectly fitting for the time period. It feels so much accomplished than a debut – Hats off to Elle! This really was a very fleshed out and all encompassing novel that examined so much in its short chapters. There’s a lot to love here and a lot to unpick – book clubs would love it!