The Fallen Fruit
Title: The Fallen Fruit by Shawntelle Madison
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
Culture: Black Culture
Themes: Slavery and freedom, family heritage, Curses, Time travel
Family is forever
Release Date: September 3rd
Favorite Quote: Be careful what you hunt in the dark. You might not like what’s waiting.
Haunting and bold, The Fallen Fruit by Shawntelle Madison is a story of one family’s journey through time while fighting for freedom and love. Cecily Bridge-Davis begins to search for the sixty-five acres of land she inherited from her father’s family. The quest leads her to uncover a dark secret: In every generation, one offspring from each Bridge family unit vanishes—and is mysteriously whisked back in time. Rules have been established that must be followed to prevent dire consequences: Never interfere with past events. Always carry your free Negro papers.
When I first started reading this book, I thought it was either going to be brilliant or disaster…..it was brilliant! The idea of falling in time from a black person’s perspective during the most pivotal times in history was extraordinary to read. Times in history when freedom was easy to obtain or nonexistent, when family roots were pivotal to your survival, and family dynamics were crucial to figuring out the present and the future.
I found each of the characters likeable in so many ways, especially the women who thought not only of their current circumstances but also what the future would hold for them and their families. From Cecily to Rebecca, everyone was vital in determining why the falling occurred and how they could prevent it while trying to carve their own path in their world.
I did have issues with the pacing of the book, at times quick paced and other times a bit slow which caused me to start to lose interest. With an unsteady pace, this made it difficult for me to keep track of the characters and I had to keep flipping to the family tree to stay grounded in what part of the family and person it was discussing. Nonetheless, this added a bit of mystery to the story in following each person’s background story.
If you’re looking for a time travel mystery intertwined with black historical culture, then The Fallen Fruit by Shawntelle Madison is a highly recommended must read.
