The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

"What happened then was a kind of communion, a chain of memory extending between the two of us that carried more than any words I can now offer you here, because the chain was ground into some deep and locked-away place...where a great power lived...where all those lost ones have taken up their vigil" (271).

The Water Dancer is a novel set in pre-civil war South centered around the protagonist Hiram Walker, an enslaved man who must serve his ignorant, white brother Maynard. As the property they live on, Lockless, unravels, Hiram feels the day he is to be sold off nearing closer. He decides to escape and uncovers an underground world that harnesses his supernatural powers for good.

This book is not an easy read as the extensive character list makes the book quite dense, but it is definitely worth it for those looking for a novel with beautiful language and imagery.