Ours

(Paperback)

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Description

In the mid-1800s, a fearsome and powerful conjure woman named Saint annihilates plantations in the South to rescue the enslaved. She brings those she has freed to a haven of her own creation: a town, magically concealed from outsiders, named Ours.

In this miraculous place, a community takes root where the people may flourish. But although Saint does her best to protect the inhabitants, 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 safety and freedom of Ours might be yet another form of bondage.

Set over the course of four decades and steeped in a rich tradition of American literature, Black surrealism, mythology and spirituality, Ours is a stunning exploration of the possibilities and limitations of love and freedom by a writer of huge vision and talent.

Reviews

Ours is a bold, ambitious, often beguiling piece of work - an epic folk tale of Black American emancipation... This is a book to get lost in * Guardian *
Epic... Mysterious... This is not a book to be rushed [...] and is a saga in the truest sense of the word - a blend of romance, historical, war and thriller fiction. It's a genre-defying experiment as strange, charming and shocking as Ours itself * FT *
A mythical and imaginative novel, Ours by Phillip B. Williams is an astonishing debut... A spellbinding, spiritual story, Ours is a remarkable achievement * Buzz Magazine *
A beautifully-written and ambitious epic about the complexity of freedom. Williams crafts an expansive, original world filled with characters who linger long after the final page -- Brit Bennett, author of The Vanishing Half
Ours is a radical re-creation of our pasts... A jewel of a novel, a deeply felt exploration of the strengthening ties and broken cords of kith and kin under the weight of complicated histories -- Kaitlyn Greenidge, author of Libertie
A modern classic... Beautifully lyrical... A powerfully moving literary masterpiece * Debut Digest *
Ours stands as a monumental work in historical fiction, blending elements of magical realism to craft a narrative that is as compelling as it is thought-provoking... A masterpiece in contemporary literature... A novel of extraordinary depth and creativity * KOL Social *
Moving and evocative... The imparting of African folklore throughout the narrative feels restorative * Irish Times *

Author Bio

Phillip B. Williams is the author of the poetry collections Mutiny, a 2022 American Book Award winner and a 2022 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry finalist, and Thief in the Interior, winner of the 2017 Kate Tufts Discovery Award and a Lambda Literary Award. He has received a Whiting Award and Ruth Lilly Fellowship from the Poetry Foundation. He was born in Chicago and currently lives in Philadelphia.