History Professor Cecily Bridge Davis has returned to the land owned by her father’s family. It is 1964, but still her family’s sixty-five-acre inheritance is off the beaten path, and for a good reason. In each generation of her family, one offspring of each Bridge family unit vanishes back into time. No one knows when, or how. Cecily finds herself with a family Bible full of names, an old map, and the very serious need to find a way to break the family curse. Traveling through time, she meets multiple ancestors, including Sabrina, Luke, and Rebecca. There’s also Amelia, a survivor of the curse filled with guilt and the desire to change Cecily’s life for the better.
Shawntelle Madison’s historical fiction debut doesn’t mess around, nor does it hesitate or look away. The Fallen Fruit covers the true terrors of African American history, including slavery, family separation, difficult choices, and survivor’s guilt. It does not shy away from uncomfortable situations, but it also has a strong feeling of hope and emphasizes how familial love and the bonds of family can be stronger than our darkest days.
The Fallen Fruit is now available from Amistad, an imprint of Harper Collins.
