The Abolitionist’s Daughter

McPhail’s dramatic but uneven debut centers on a land dispute in the antebellum South. Emily Matthews is the kind daughter of Southern abolitionist Judge Matthews, who educates runaway slaves that he cannot free (because Mississippi has outlawed manumission) at his illegal school. Two years before the Civil War begins, Emily and Ginny, Emily’s friend and a slave Matthews educated, learn that the violent Holbert Conklin wants to sell his slave Nathan, which would separate him from his wife. After Matthews buys Nathan and his family to keep them together, doctor Charles Slate, who courts and marries Emily, tends to the severely injured Nathan. The Matthews farm, an underground save haven, becomes the center of unwanted attention when Emily’s brother Jeremiah returns after learning Matthews changed his will to leave Emily his land. The family is further thrown into disarray as Belinda, the widow of their dead brother, also seeks a claim on the land. After the Civil War begins, the family strife and wartime violence force naive Emily to mature into a resilient mother who endures multiple tragedies. Unfortunately, Matthews, Jeremiah, Charles, Nathan, and Nathan’s family are barely explored. McPhail lays out many intriguing threads but fails to bring them together into a coherent whole. [em](Apr.) [/em]