Burn Down Master's House: A Novel

Burn Down Master's House draws inspiration from true, long-buried accounts of enslaved people who resisted their captors. The novel follows interconnected acts of rebellion across the American South, where individual acts of resistance spark a larger movement for justice. At a Virginia plantation called Magnolia Row, Luke—quick-witted and literate—and Henri, a man with a defiant spirit, form a bond while seeking escape from brutal conditions. Their resilience influences those around them, including Josephine, a young girl who observes their actions and waits for her own moment to act. Charity Butler, encouraged by her husband—a formerly enslaved man who stood with Josephine in youth—fights for her freedom in court and wins, only to face an unjust system threatening the life they've built. Nathaniel, who exploits other Black people and mirrors the cruelty of white enslavers, represents a perversion of the slavery system whose contradictory rule becomes a catalyst for change. The novel explores how these seemingly separate rebellions connect, sometimes quietly and sometimes explosively, as characters navigate unimaginable cruelty and fight for freedom and justice.