‘I never realized how easily people could be trained to accept slavery.’

Kindred drew me in and refused to let me go, much like Dana is snatched from the comforts of her modern ‘home’ and taken back to the 1800s, serving as witness and savior to a white plantation owner who turns out to be quite important for her ancestry. I’ve read some of Butler’s Patternmaster series before this, but this book has a different style and a different vibe to it. The themes and philosophy are much stronger, the characters and plot mainly vehicles for the former. The characterization is decent though, and even though the plot remains slightly stagnant—we see the ending in the beginning, and then work from the beginning towards the dreaded conclusion—it was nevertheless quite enthralling. Read for a book club in December 2022—and to think I was almost afraid I wouldn’t finish it in time! I read nearly half the book in just one sitting.Our protagonist, Dana, is a modern black woman who aspires to be a writer while working at a temp agency. She is just about ready to start a new chapter in her life—moving together with her husband, Kevin, into a brand new home. Yet, on her 26th birthday, something unreal happens—she is transported suddenly to save the life of a certain white boy, and eventually realizes that not only is she transplanted in space, but also in time. Dana’s tenacity and strong sense of what is just were admirable qualities and I respected her, and admired her attempts to deal with the repressive nature of the time she was forced into. Her husband, Kevin, initially seems like a character of convenience to add context into Dana’s situation, but I was pleasantly surprised at how Butler weaves his actions and values into the narrative as well.The plot is not the focus of the story here, and yet the book manages to be a page-turner even so. That is partly due to the wildly unpredictable nature of how and when Dana is sent back in time, but even more to what she can’t control—the actions that happen when she is living out her days on the plantation. For Dana, the gaps in her modern life are small, but in the meanwhile she is spending perhaps months at a time living in the 1800s. It would be a challenge for anyone, but especially for a young black woman in the era of slavery. The book deals with a lot of heavy topics and cruel treatment and discrimination is not shied away from on the page. The ending did seem abrupt, but upon reflection, it makes sense—it mirrors the sense of abruptness and lack of closure that our characters find at the end themselves. At times, the plot could feel a bit sluggish, especially when we are given repeat encounters regarding the brutalities of slavery—it is tempting to want to look away, but like Dana, we must persevere through the nightmarish scenes.The themes are by far the best feature of this novel; it is a book of ideas, not just a ‘time travel adventure to preserve one’s genealogy’, but a question of family relationships, what the present owes to the past, how one’s identity is shaped by their ancestors, and whether knowing about one’s history can help one move forward. I enjoyed some commentary I read about Kindred, which discussed the notion of Dana being like a ghost—but contrary to popular convention, she is a ghost of the present haunting the past, rather than the inverse. Her modern sensibilities—and righteous indignation and rejection of the norms and attitudes concerning slavery of the 1800s—are what drive her actions and subtly influence the people she meets. I also appreciated the depth Butler provides to the relationship dynamic between Dana and Kevin. You can tell that they mutually support each other, and that their relationship is a strong one, forged by shared values and common understanding. Dana also has a complex relationship with her ancestors—a line that is founded by deceit and violence, yet one that Dana must nonetheless uphold if she is to secure her own personhood. Butler certainly does not make things easy for her characters, and we know from the start that Dana has a strong price to pay for her goal, even in spite of the suffering it takes to get there.I would recommend this book to all, but especially those who enjoy sci-fi/fantasy books that are really philosophical discussions in disguise, with the main concern being an in-depth examination into a particular idea or situation. In this case, I felt quite called out when the novel hints at the degree to which people can remain comfortably ignorant about contemporary issues, much as the people of the 1800s are to slavery—for instance, we refuse to acknowledge social ills to save face or to ease our own discomfort, like the ever-increasing tragedies of homelessness, human trafficking, etc. This is far from a perfect novel in the traditional realms of character and narration, but given that it is a novel that stays with you—and makes you think about it long after you’ve put it down—it is well worth it.