November 25, 2024
Kopacz’s uneven latest (after Shallow Waters) recasts Oya, the heroine of a Nigerian folk story, as a Cuban-born Black woman in 1872 New Orleans. Oya, who was born with magical powers, has had a devastating miscarriage, and to help her overcome her loss, her mother sends her to stay with famed voudon queen Marie. Besides mending Oya, Marie helps her manage her power to control the weather and generate powerful winds and rain. While in New Orleans, Oya witnesses a friend’s death at the hands of a racist, anti-Reconstruction mob. After befriending Ellen and Thomas, a wealthy interracial couple visiting from California, she decides to ride the train with them back west. Thomas, who is white, is “starstruck” by fellow passenger Jesse James, who’s in the custody of armed guards. Oya, however, is disturbed by James, and her intuition prefigures a dramatic and scary turn of events. Kopacz covers a lot of historical and mythical ground in a limited page count, though she too often bogs things down with encyclopedic details. Still, there are flashes of beauty, especially when Oya demonstrates her bravery and supernatural powers. The result is a fresh and welcome perspective on a troubled time. Agent: Ali Kominsky, Dupree Miller.
December 1, 2024
The second book in Kopacz's Daughter of Three Waters trilogy, following Shallow Waters (2021), is a deeply evocative tale that centers on Oya, born in Cuba to the Yoruban Yemaya. The story continues with Oya's journey through profound grief after losing her stillborn child. As she struggles to wield her supernatural abilities, Oya learns to channel her powers for healing rather than destruction. Kopacz's storytelling is steeped in historical richness, honoring Black matriarchs like Voodoo practitioner Marie Laveau and real-estate magnate and abolitionist Mary Ellen Pleasant as fierce revolutionaries instead of the often-misunderstood figures portrayed in popular narratives. Kopacz revives threatened traditions and legends, paying homage to the African diaspora and revealing cultural legacies that shaped history. With a cameo by Harriet Tubman, this novel is historically rooted, rich in human emotion, and suffused with magic, perfect for fans of The American Daughters (2024), by Maurice Carlos Ruffin, The Water Dancer (2019), by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Sadeqa Johnson's novels. Kopacz masterfully intertwines the mystical and the real, leaving readers eager for the trilogy's conclusion.
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