The Kitchen House

The story is narrated in alternating chapters by two distinct characters: Belle, a black slave, and Lavinia, a white indentured servant, whose perspectives on situations are as different as they are. Although they share the same chores, living conditions, and indebtedness to their master, they are worlds apart when it comes to emotions or life choices. Grissom does an excellent job of giving the book an authentic feel for this time period and positively excels at making her characters, the circumstances they encounter, and the storyline real and believable. Further to the author's credit, she presents balanced views of the slaves and the plantation owners' actions without passing moral judgment. A few minor things did bother me. The book starts strong and grabs you, then a hundred pages or so in, loses momentum slightly, but fortunately also picks up again. On a personal note, I prefer strong female characters that fight to the bitter end rather than fade and weaken like Lavinia. Overall however a very enjoyable read that would have appeal to anyone who likes a well written book with an interesting story line about love and the impenetrable bonds of the people we choose to be family. Excellent book club selection.

Simon & Schuster - October 21, 2014 - Fiction - 384 pages

Kathleen Grissom established herself as a remarkable new talent with The Kitchen House, a contemporary classic of historical fiction. In this gripping novel, a dark secret threatens to expose the best and worst in everyone tied to a thriving Virginia plantation in the decades before the Civil War.

Orphaned during her passage from Ireland, young, white Lavinia arrives on the steps of the kitchen house and is placed, as an indentured servant, under the care of Belle, the master's illegitimate slave daughter. Lavinia learns to cook, clean, and serve while guided by the quiet strength and love of her new family.

In time, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, caring for the master's opium-addicted wife and befriending his dangerous yet protective son. She attempts to straddle the worlds of the kitchen and big house, but her skin color will forever set her apart from Belle and the others. Through the alternating voices of Lavinia and Belle, the novel unfolds as a heartbreaking yet hopeful story of class, race, addiction, deep-buried secrets, and unbreakable familial bonds.

1. Why do you think the author chose to tell the story through two narrators? How are Lavinia's observations and judgments different from Belle's? Does this story belong to one more than the other? If you could choose another character to narrate the novel, who would it be?

2. One of the novel's themes is history repeating itself. Another theme is isolation. Select scenes from The Kitchen House that depict each theme and discuss. Are there scenes in which the two themes intersect?

3. "Mae knows that her eldest daughter consorts with my husband. . . Almost from the beginning, I suspected their secrets" (p. 107). Why does the captain keep Belle's true identity a secret from his wife and children? Would the truth have been a relief or torn the family further apart? When does keeping this secret turn tragic?

4. Discuss the significance of birds and bird nests in the novel. What or who do they symbolize? What other symbols support the novel?

5. "When I saw their hunger I was struck with a deep familiarity. . . " (p. 24). Did the captain save Lavinia's life by bringing her to America as an indentured servant-or was it a fate worse than what she might have faced in Ireland? Contrast slavery and indentured servitude.

6. Marshall is complicated-at times kind and protective, at others violent. What secret is he forced to keep? Is he to blame for what happened to Sally? Why do you think he was loyal to Rankin, a conspirator with Mr. Waters?

7. "I grew convinced that if she saw me, she would become well again" (p. 188). Why does Lavinia believe her presence will help Miss Martha? Describe their relationship. If Lavinia is nurtured by Mama and Belle, why does she also need Miss Martha's attention?

8. "Fortunately, making myself amenable was not foreign to me. . . " (p. 233). Does this attribute save or endanger Lavinia? Give examples of both.

9. Describe the relationship between Ben's wife, Lucy, and Belle. How does it evolve? Is it difficult to understand their friendship? Why or why not?

10. "I was as enslaved as all the others" (p. 300). Is this statement fair? Is Lavinia's position equivalent to that of the slaves? What freedoms does she have that they do not-and what burdens does her race place upon her?

Themes ripe for discussion include: the contrasts between slavery and indentured servitude; how secrecy corrodes families; addiction and its collateral damage; chosen family versus blood; the limits of loyalty; and how race, class, and power shape moral choices. Belle and Lavinia's alternating voices highlight how love can bind across divides-and how silence can be complicit.