In the tradition of Wrench and Twelve Years a Slave, this harrowing story follows an enslaved woman forced to barter love and freedom while living in the most infamous slave jail in Virginia.

Born on a plantation in Charles City, Virginia, Pheby Brown was promised her freedom on her eighteenth birthday. But when her birthday finally comes around, instead of the idyllic life she was hoping for with her true love, she finds herself thrust into the bowels of slavery at the infamous Devil’s Half-Acre, a jail where slaves are broken, tortured, and sold every day. Forced to become the mistress of the brutal man who owns the jail, Pheby faces the ultimate sacrifice to protect her heart in this powerful, thrilling story of one slave’s fight for freedom.

Review:

Gritty, haunting, and extremely moving!

Yellow Wife is a poignant, impactful tale that sweeps you away to Virginia during the mid-1850s and into the life of Pheby Delores Brown, a young woman of mixed race who struggles to survive a life of brutality and protect those she loves while confined within the walls of the Devil’s Half Acre prison and as the mistress of the jailer, Rubin Lapier.

The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are vulnerable, strong, and scarred. And the plot is an exceptionally enthralling tale about life, love, strength, bravery, hope, survival, savagery, violence, and the unimaginable horrors and injustices of slavery.

Overall, Yellow Wife is a magical blend of historical facts, heart-wrenching emotion, and powerful fiction that does a wonderful job of reminding us that humanity can not only be cruel and barbaric, but also incredibly resilient and kind.

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.