Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez (2010)

Wench is an utterly original and fascinating novel set before the Civil War at a resort in Ohio where white slaveholders brought their favored slave women on their vacations.  The women who spend their summers there struggle not only with their own lives, but with the prospect of freedom tantalizingly close at hand.

Perkins-Valdez provides an amazing look at a very specific part of the slave experience and provides insight into the bigger world of slavery. Unbelievably vivid and evocative of what life must have been like for these women--from losing their children to struggling with the decision of whether to try to escape. Memorable, touching characters and an amazing look at a very specific part of history.