⭐⭐⭐✨ (3.5 stars rounded up to 4)
Nathan Harris’s Amity is a gripping story about a brother and sister, emancipated from slavery but still searching for true freedom, and their odyssey across the deserts of Mexico to reunite—all while fleeing a former master who refuses to let them go.
Set in 1866, the novel follows Coleman and June, siblings separated when their former owner hauls June off to Mexico chasing silver and control. When Coleman is later summoned to follow, what unfolds is a sprawling adventure filled with shipwrecks, captivity, desert crossings, and a relentless chase. Both siblings must wrestle with a hard truth: freedom isn’t always given—it’s taken.
Harris can write—no question. The prose is gorgeous, the imagery vivid (the desert practically shimmers), and the emotional weight lands. I especially liked Coleman’s voice—bookish, observant, with a dry edge that cuts through the heaviness.
But…this one took me a while. The pacing is slow, and with so many characters and intersecting storylines, I occasionally had to stop and think, “Wait—who’s this again?” It’s the kind of book where you don’t just read—you commit.
I couldn’t help comparing it to The Sweetness of Water, which I found more engaging overall. Still, Amity is beautifully written and ambitious in scope. If you enjoy literary historical fiction with depth, detail, and a slower build, this may be your kind of journey.
** Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for a complimentary copy. Opinions are my own.