Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Synopsis
Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from her home in California and transported to the antebellum South. Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, is drowning, and Dana has been summoned to save him. Dana is drawn back repeatedly through time to the slave quarters, and each time the stay grows longer, more arduous, and more dangerous until it is uncertain whether or not Dana’s life will end, long before it has a chance to begin.
Kindred: content & age rating
Intended for adult readers (18+).
This book depicts slavery in brutal, unflinching detail including physical violence, sexual assault, and systemic oppression. The mature content is integral to the historical and emotional weight of the story.
What to know going in
This book has strong violence, moderate sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include sexual assault, torture, slavery, physical abuse, and captivity (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Adult readers interested in challenging time-travel stories that confront America's history of slavery will find this deeply powerful.