The Kitchen House
by Kathleen Grissom
Lately, it’s been a become a bit of a fad to write and read historical books about orphans. In Orphan Train, Before We Were Yours, and Orphan Train Escape, you can read about the terrible conditions little children had to endure while without a family. The Kitchen House combines the journey of an orphaned Irish immigrant with a pre-Civil War drama that chronicles the evils of slavery. It’s a unique and interesting premise, showing how a slave-holding family treats a white indentured servant differently than their slaves.
As a little girl, the protagonist is brought to a plantation and expected to earn her keep like the other slaves brought home that day. She spends the majority of her time in the kitchen house and learns to love the people who take care of her regardless of the color of their skin. However, when she grows up, the house thinks it isn’t proper for a white girl to flit in and out of the kitchen house, and her new lifestyle requires quite a bit of adjusting.
The book is written in sections that highlight different people’s perspectives, and while it’s clear Kathleen Grissom is a very talented author, sometimes the sections skip ahead in time. I found these skips a little jarring, and some plot points I would have loved to read details about were recapped in mere sentences after years had passed. Also, Grissom writes in a colder tone than I expected; a book about slavery usually harps on the drama, violence, and horror. It’s almost as if The Kitchen House is nonfiction, and she didn’t want to inject any drama into her writing so the readers wouldn’t think she was trying to turn it into a novel. If this type of book appeals to you, check it out. It is well-written, and there’s an interesting sequel I’ll be checking out soon!
As a little girl, the protagonist is brought to a plantation and expected to earn her keep like the other slaves brought home that day. She spends the majority of her time in the kitchen house and learns to love the people who take care of her regardless of the color of their skin. However, when she grows up, the house thinks it isn’t proper for a white girl to flit in and out of the kitchen house, and her new lifestyle requires quite a bit of adjusting.
The book is written in sections that highlight different people’s perspectives, and while it’s clear Kathleen Grissom is a very talented author, sometimes the sections skip ahead in time. I found these skips a little jarring, and some plot points I would have loved to read details about were recapped in mere sentences after years had passed. Also, Grissom writes in a colder tone than I expected; a book about slavery usually harps on the drama, violence, and horror. It’s almost as if The Kitchen House is nonfiction, and she didn’t want to inject any drama into her writing so the readers wouldn’t think she was trying to turn it into a novel. If this type of book appeals to you, check it out. It is well-written, and there’s an interesting sequel I’ll be checking out soon!