The Tattered Black Book

“He told me he'd kill any savage that dared touch even one hair on my head. And if I ever allowed it, he'd kill me along with him...” are amongst the strong words that introduce this spellbinding novel, a tale that brims with family secrets and intrigue and drama that is rare. A well-known attorney would not allow the love between his daughter and an Indian boy to blossom. To stop them from loving each other, he has to do the unthinkable. It is what this story is about and more…

 When Danny discovers Charlotte’s diary and her wedding photo, she becomes obsessed and curious about them. So she asks her aunt about Charlotte Wickham. It is then that her aunt opens up and spills out the secrets to Danny and her mother, Diana — secrets that have been in the family for sixty years. It is the story of how far a Caucasian father would go to stop his daughter from loving an Indian boy.

The story is persistently suspenseful, alternating between 1883 when Charlotte lived and 1951 as Danny and Diana look for answers to her identity. The story is spellbinding and it brilliantly explores the theme of racism and social inequality. The love between the daughter of a well-known attorney and a Lenape Indian, who met in grade school, serves as a medium through which the author explores the consequences of racism and the inequality of equal men. The prose is excellent and the writing possesses a beauty that delights in itself. The sparkling dialogues feel real and they elevate the drama, transforming the entire story into an emotional rollercoaster that keeps readers racing through the pages. The Tattered Black Book by Lexy Duck is a dazzling novel with complex and fully drawn characters, a setting that mesmerizes through the power of its historical and cultural hints, and a conflict that moves the plot in unexpected directions. Lexy Duck comes across as a gifted storyteller with a voice that is as unique as it is compelling.