The House Girl by Tara Conklin

The House Girl by Tara Conklin

Lu Anne Bell was an artist and the wife of a slave owner before her death in 1852. The style and subjects of her art are unlike any other from that time. The portrayal of her slaves in her drawings and paintings is the current subject of the art world in New York City, especially since the authorship of the paintings has come into question. Many now believe that Josephine, the seventeen year house girl of the Bell Plantation is the true artist and deserves the credit as such. Josephine had been Lu Anne's care taker since the age of seven and had spent little to no time away from her company, but nothing is known of Josephine after 1852. There are no records of children, of her staying with Robert Bell, Lu Anne’s husband, after her passing, or even her being sold to another slave owner.  So what happened to Josephine? That wasn’t a question Lina Sparrow was prepared to answer. She wasn’t even aware of the controversy surrounding The Bell paintings until she was assigned a reparations case for slavery by her firm. The search for a plaintiff to be the face of slavery for this case and Lina’s father, Oscar's, connection to the art world, introduced her to Josephine’s story and the possibilities it held. Lina uncovers the life of the young slave, the conditions she endured, her search for freedom and the art she produced. Lina uncovers the truth of The Bell paintings and the faces behind each one.

                This was a very well written and enjoyable story about a young slave who unknowingly left a legacy and another young woman who thinks she’s found her place in life. The more Lina uncovers about the unknown life of Josephine, the more she questions the people around her and the things that have influenced her life the most. Josephine lived her life under the demands of others and found joy in not only finishing her Missus’ art but in creating her own. Lina is living a life completely different from that led by her artist father but is constrained by the demands of her job and has no life or freedom outside of it. It is through Josephine and the research she places into the life of the house girl, that Lina realizes her life needs to allow for movement and change.

                Conklin did an amazing job delivering the story. The narrative was divided into two parts: Lina and Josephine which allows the reader to see intimate details into the lives of each character. But with Josephine we were still lacking some information about the era in which she lived and factors like the Underground Railroad and the slave trade. To fill in the gaps of information, she introduced outlining characters and allowed them to speak in first person through letters they wrote to family in the story. This not only relayed an immense amount of information and gave context to the story but it also kept the story intimate and relatable in nature. 

               I really did enjoy this novel especially because it handle a most inglorious topic with grace and sensitivity. I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars and definitely recommend it.