This book was violently appealing in a dark way, and incredibly beautiful. I picked it up because of the likeness to The Water Dancer, which I loved. This book was different, but it gave me the same sense of holding in my hands something incredibly important. I am thankful for the opportunity to have read it.

A compelling and beautifully written historical fiction that depicts the inner feelings of slaves who view themselves as "the stolen" and their owners as "thieves."

"Black love" or ”loving while black" under normal circumstances can be rendered complicated due to the multitudes of trauma and violence perpetrated directly and indirectly against black folks daily. However despite the environs best efforts black folks have managed to love each through the worst of times. Creating friendships and families that sustain and lift us up in the hard spaces. In spite of the Thieves’ (slavers) doubts that the Stolen (slaves) were not even capable of being loved and loving, this book centers and celebrates the intimate relationships and bonds forged between a group of stolen people as they struggle to maintain these relationships while looking towards freedom. Although about a difficult topic the book avoids being too heavy and too burdensome to carry the theme. You should read this book.

I do not have words for this review. This book took me an abnormally long time to finish, but it is not because it was difficult to read or because it was ever in danger of being DNFd. It was just HEAVY. The writing, the pacing, the plot, the character development... everything was fantastic. I will be shocked if this is not an award winning book next year. (PS... Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC of this book releasing on January 11, 2022.) There are too many content warnings to list, but I doubt anyone who picks up this book does NOT expect the content to be difficult. The description for this book says "The Water Dancer" meets "The Prophets". I think that is a very fair description and if you liked those books, I think you should definitely pick this one up.

“We called them Thieves; they called themselves God’s Children. We called ourselves Stolen; they called us niggas.” I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. An allegorical tale of slavery written beautifully. While the story is not new, this telling is focused on intimacy and love while a slave. So often it seems as if "slaves" have been used as a conduit to tell the slave story without really touching the hearts of those involved....that black people were not capable of loving or any emotion. That is a hard history to ignore.
5*

Thank you Simon & Schuster, NetGalley and Author for this wonderful advanced ebook copy!

I was very excited to see I got approved for Yonder by Asim. I've heard good things about this story and wanted to give it a go for myself. As I'm trying g to expand my genre.
And I'm here to say this did not let me down!
These characters Cato and William I couldn't have loved these characters any more than I already do!
WoW! What they went through?! Completely made me cringe and cry.
This was such a beautiful but heart wrenching story!
Jabari Asim writing flowed very beautifully which had me hanging onto every word!
Loved it! Praised it! And I hope most readers will also!

“We called them Thieves; they called themselves God’s Children. We called ourselves Stolen; they called us niggas.” -- William

Cannonball Greene is a self-professed “academic” planter who seeks notoriety as an expert in the field of chattel slavery management. He concocts various experiments involving the Stolen and documents the outcome in hopes of publishing his work to shed light on the enigmas surrounding the handling, behavior, and mindset of the enslaved/Stolen. As with many of the time, he incorrectly believed the African/Negro was not human and therefore did not reason, feel, or possess the same aptitude for learning, advanced thinking, emotional bonding, etc. as Whites. He believed their behavior was controllable and predictable; that they possessed an innate inclination of deference toward a superior being (Whites).

It is in this flawed, cruel universe where Yonder dwells. While the author does not spare the reader the brutality and ugliness of the era, it is nonetheless a beautifully demonstrative tale set in the antebellum South across three neighboring plantations. It shows how families were built from the orphaned, the widowed, the broken-hearted, and the lost. It reveals how bonds formed under duress and desperate circumstances rival those formed by blood.

For example, at one point in the novel, an emotionally damaged, heartless Stolen man ironically named Cupid spews, “Lovesick niggas don’t do nobody no good. Love will spoil a nigga for certain.” Asim’s characters witness and endure atrocities such that it is totally understandable why some would opt to guard their hearts by choosing not to care because loved ones could be sold, killed, or removed at the whim of the Thieves/Owners at any time without warning. However, many opted to love regardless of the circumstances. Asim layers the various facets of love in the inner and inter-relationships of the characters - we see that love is a balm; it heals. Love is patient; it waits and endures. Love inspires, motivates, and propels. Love is kind and thoughtful. Love is magical.

I enjoyed my time with William, a naturally fearless, reserved leader, and his outgoing, outspoken soulmate, Margaret. Cato, “brother” to William, a stoic thinker who craves freedom and a chance at love with Pandora, a courageous dreamer in her own right. The supporting characters were well-crafted with backstories steeped in folklore and history -- Zander, a boy who sees angels and believes he will grow wings and fly; Ransom, a freedman preacher who visits the plantations to openly spread the “Good Word” from the Thieves’ god, yet clandestinely calls for inspiration and hope from their Ancestors. He talks of freedom over yonder for those brave and strong enough to pursue it.

There are aspects of magical realism (some readers may not care for it; I didn’t mind), use of the “n-word,” and as mentioned before emotional abuse, graphic violence, including mention and references of sexual abuse/rape.

A heartfelt thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review in exchange for a review.