In four haunting episodes, the author seeks out the truth about herself, her white Mississippi ancestors, their relationships with African-American Mississippians, and ultimately about their guilt as murderers of helpless slaves. Reprint.
Ellen Douglas, whose real name is Josephine Haxton, was born in Natchez, Mississippi, and published her first novel, A Family's Affairs, in 1962. This first endeavor, as well as her short-story collection Black Cloud, White Cloud were both included in The New York Times Book Review's year's ten best listings. Her fourth novel, Apostles of Light, was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1973. Now seventy-eight years old, she makes her home in Jackson, Mississippi.