Junie: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel

· Sold by Ballantine Books
5.0
1 review
Ebook
368
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • A young girl must face a life-altering decision after awakening her sister’s ghost, navigating truths about love, friendship, and power as the Civil War looms.

“The richly textured prose quickly pulled me into [Junie’s] treacherous yet magical world.”—Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake


Sixteen years old and enslaved since she was born, Junie has spent her life on Bellereine Plantation in Alabama, cooking and cleaning alongside her family, and tending to the white master’s daughter, Violet. Her daydreams are filled with poetry and faraway worlds, while she spends her nights secretly roaming through the forest, consumed with grief over the sudden death of her older sister, Minnie.

When wealthy guests arrive from New Orleans, hinting at marriage for Violet and upending Junie’s life, she commits a desperate act—one that rouses Minnie’s spirit from the grave, tethered to this world unless Junie can free her. She enlists the aid of Caleb, the guests’ coachman, and their friendship soon becomes something more. Yet as long-held truths begin to crumble, she realizes Bellereine is harboring dark and horrifying secrets that can no longer be ignored.

With time ticking down, Junie begins to push against the harsh current that has controlled her entire life. As she grapples with an increasingly unfamiliar world in which she has little control, she is forced to ask herself: When we choose love and liberation, what must we leave behind?

Ratings and reviews

5.0
1 review
Andrea Romance
February 5, 2025
Enslaved teenager Junie dreams of freedom while mourning her sister, Minnie. The arrival of wealthy guests disrupts Junie’s life, leading her to a desperate act. With the help of Caleb, the guests’ coachman, Junie uncovers the plantation’s dark secrets while fighting for freedom. This novel is beautifully written. The story is vivid and engaging, the style literary yet readable. Recommended for fans of Toni Morrison. Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received.
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About the author

Erin Crosby Eckstine is an author of speculative historical fiction, personal essays, and anything else she’s in the mood for. Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Eckstine grew up between the South and Los Angeles before moving to New York City to attend Barnard College. She earned a master’s in secondary English education from Stanford University and taught high school English for six years. She lives in Brooklyn with her partner and their cats.

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