Chosen as a Most Anticipated Book of 2024 by Oprah’s Book Club Elle Reader’s Digest The
Rumpus Kirkus Reviews The Millions Lit Hub and more “An inventive ode to
self-determination and also a surrealistic vision of Black life as forged within the crucible
of American history . . . [written in] lush ornamental prose.” — The New Yorker “Fans of
The Underground Railroad The Water Dancer and Let Us Descend will devour this lyrical and
surreal saga.” — Oprah Daily From a writer of singular voice and vision a mesmerizing epic
that reimagines the past to explore the true nature of freedom In this ingenious sweeping
novel Phillip B. Williams introduces us to an enigmatic woman named Saint a fearsome conjurer
who in the 1830s annihilates plantations all over Arkansas to rescue the people enslaved
there. She brings those she has freed to a haven of her own creation: a town just north of St.
Louis magically concealed from outsiders named Ours. It is in this miraculous place that
Saint’s grand experiment—a truly secluded community where her people may flourish—takes root.
But although Saint does her best to protect the inhabitants of Ours over time her conjuring
and memories begin to betray her leaving the town vulnerable to intrusions by newcomers with
powers of their own. As the cracks in Saint’s creation are exposed some begin to wonder
whether the community’s safety might be yet another form of bondage. Set over the course of
four decades and steeped in a rich tradition of American literature informed by Black
surrealism mythology and spirituality Ours is a stunning exploration of the possibilities
and limitations of love and freedom by a writer of capacious vision and talent.
