Night Wherever We Go

Shortlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize 2023 ‘A hugely impressive debut’ SARAH WATERS ‘[A] haunting and moving story’ SUNDAY TIMES ‘A powerful and inspired achievement. This one is not to be missed’ NATHAN HARRIS ’A haunting, powerful and utterly unforgettable read’ RACHEL HENG Texas, 1852. Six enslaved women slip from their sleeping quarters to gather in the woods under cover of night. Their plantation owners, the Lucys – named after Lucifer himself – have decided to force the women to bear children. But the women are determined to protect themselves. Nan, a doctoring woman, has a herbal solution. If they all take part in this dangerous rebellion, the Lucys may give up. But if they are discovered, the consequences will be severe. Powerful and poetic, Night Wherever We Go is a visceral meditation on love, resistance and redemption, and takes an intimate look at the bonds of female friendship in the darkest of circumstances.

About the Author :
Tracey Rose is a recent graduate of the Michener Center for Writers at University of Texas-Austin where she worked with Elizabeth McCracken and Bret Anthony Johnston. Her short fiction has been published in Guernica, American Short Fiction, Prairie Schooner and elsewhere, and her short story, "The Last Days of Rodney," was selected by Jesmyn Ward to appear in Best American Short Stories 2021.

Review :
‘A haunting evocation of the routine brutalities of slavery that is also a powerful celebration of friendship, community, resilience and rebellion. A hugely impressive debut’ SARAH WATERS ‘A haunting, moving story’SUNDAY TIMES ‘A powerful and inspired achievement… gives voice to the enslaved women of this nation’s past who have, for far too long, had their voices gone unheard in the annals of history. She does them justice and then some. This one is not to be missed’ NATHAN HARRIS, author of The Sweetness of Water ‘Extraordinary: a beautiful book about harrowing things, beautiful because of its understanding of humanity, its astonishing language, and the plain brilliance of its author. I'm not sure I've recovered from the experience of reading it, or ever will, or ever should’ ELIZABETH MCCRACKEN ‘A tale of epic survival, a song of collective resilience, an intimate exploration of love, friendship and sisterhood in the face of harrowing cruelty and injustice. In lyrical and precise prose, Peyton evokes an indelible portrait of each woman's complicated desires, hopes and fears. And in spite of the characters' difficult lives, this is a book about joy and transcendence as much as it is about trauma and loss. The complex and varied voices of the women that inhabit Night Wherever We Go make it a haunting, powerful and utterly unforgettable read’ RACHEL HENG, author of Suicide Club ‘Night Wherever We Go has the potential to change how Blacknesses, Texas and the nation are written about forever’ KIESE LAYMON, author of Long Division