Caren grew up with her mother, who worked as a cook at Belle Vie and told her stories of her ancestors and their lives on the plantation.Īfter moving away to study law, Caren and her daughter ended up back at Belle Vie in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and Caren has grown accustomed to the routines of the place that has dominated her life.

Having chosen to stay on at the plantation after the Civil War ended slavery, he mysteriously disappeared into the night and was never heard from again.

Her great-great-great grandfather, Jason, is a legend. Thanks to her heritage, Caren is tied to Belle Vie. The irony of the story is, that Belle Vie, once a plantation owned by rich white men and worked by slaves, is in the present day a historical site, still owned by the descendants of the original plantation owners, but managed by Caren, the great-great-great granddaughter of one of the slaves. This book may initially present itself as a crime thriller, but it’s actually a work of literary fiction that deals with some powerful issues.Īs a setting, the former plantation of Belle Vie is oppressive and weighed down with historical significance, not only for the characters, but for America itself. Belle Vie’s manager, Caren, whose own history is closely linked to the plantation, is drawn into the police investigation and soon makes a series of disturbing discoveries. Early one misty morning in rural Louisiana, the body of a young immigrant woman is discovered in a shallow grave on the grounds of Belle Vie – a former plantation, now a museum dedicated to preserving the history of the American South.

The cutting season book review