When the Reckoning Comes: A Novel

Written by LaTanya McQueen

Narrated by Kara Young

""LaTanya McQueen's When The Reckoning Comes is so deliciously uncomfortable there were moments where I had to put the book down, take a deep breath, and like Mira, its protagonist, urge myself to go further. This is a novel, like Octavia Butler's Kindred, that reminds its readers that as long as people don't acknowledge how much of the past still shapes the present, it will bring its whips, its hatchets, and fists to make us learn."" — Megan Giddings, author of Lakewood

A haunting novel about a black woman who returns to her hometown for a plantation wedding and the horror that ensues as she reconnects with the blood-soaked history of the land and the best friends she left behind.

More than a decade ago, Mira fled her small, segregated hometown in the south to forget. With every mile she traveled, she distanced herself from her past: from her best friend Celine, mocked by their town as the only white girl with black friends; from her old neighborhood; from the eerie Woodsman plantation rumored to be haunted by the spirits of slaves; from the terrifying memory of a ghost she saw that terrible day when a dare-gone-wrong almost got Jesse—the boy she secretly loved—arrested for murder.

But now Mira is back in Kipsen to attend Celine’s wedding at the plantation, which has been transformed into a lush vacation resort. Mira hopes to reconnect with her friends, and especially, Jesse, to finally tell him the truth about her feelings and the events of that devastating long-ago day.

But for all its fancy renovations, the Woodsman remains a monument to its oppressive racist history. The bar serves antebellum drinks, entertainment includes horrifying reenactments, and the service staff is nearly all black. Yet the darkest elements of the plantation’s past have been carefully erased—rumors that slaves were tortured mercilessly and that ghosts roam the lands, seeking vengeance on the descendants of those who tormented them, which includes most of the wedding guests. 

As the weekend unfolds, Mira, Jesse, and Celine are forced to acknowledge their history together, and to save themselves from what is to come.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Aug 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063035065

LaTanya McQueen

LaTanya McQueen is the author of the essay collection And It Begins Like This. A recipient of a creative writing fellowship from the National Endowment of the Arts and a grant and the Elizabeth George Foundation, she is an assistant professor of English at NC State University where she teaches in the MFA program.

Reviews for When the Reckoning Comes

[Ivonne Quiroz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My favorite book of the year! Such a great audio book!

[ShaTonya Wooley · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 out of 5 stars I really wanted to give this one a higher rating but unfortunately I didn’t like the writing. It was just too descriptive for my taste. But don’t g get me wrong the writing was excellent but just not my favorite.

[Hanica30 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The book is bad enough but the READING doesn't do it any service. I put it 2x as fast and it still sounded half dead. Bleh.

[Tonee Finch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was amazing! It was vivid, poetic, and gut-wrenching storytelling. It’s important to allow creatives to tell complex stories. Often, people are afraid of experiencing narratives that ignite a bevy of emotions or touch on heavy topics. I hope readers feel inspired to reflect and allow themselves to feel while engaging in a story such as this.

[Kenedi McDonald · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Narrator’s voice grips you throughout the in this impeccably written story.

[Kylie Miracle · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow. This book was beautifully written and haunting with an important tale to tell in a spooky atmosphere. It's narrative is important and highly recommended.

[Elisabeth Okko · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is simply a great book. A real page turner.

[Crissy Crim · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great read! Thought-provoking and spooky. My bookclub gave it an overall 4.5 Star rating

[Christina Stevens · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The narration was poorly done, all southern accents are not the same. The story itself... literally all the white people were evil, which made me quite sad to see we haven't come very far in terms of society as a whole. I think the message was lost here.

[FreshNFancyPlans · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book! I was an eerie, sad, adventurous, horrifying ride. Worth a read and a reread.

[Alexandre Bellemare · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The audio performance is really good, one of the best I’ve heard. The story is great and super interesting. Not too scary but definitely unsettling.

[anita chandler may · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Read this book in one day. Most enjoyable. Interesting new twist..story true to title

[Nicole · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was really boring and had pretty much nothing going on

[Alexandra Jane Welcome · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Just another "white people are evil", woke book. Nobody writes good stories anymore. It's just broken record, whiny propaganda.

[irenecole · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mira grew up in a small town where small minds allowed racism to flourish. She hasn't been back in years, and who could blame her. But she still thinks of Jesse, her school girl crush, and what might have been had things turned out differently. Out of the blue she gets a phone call from her childhood friend Celine, practically begging her to attend her wedding. When they were children, Celine often said they could be sisters, it didn't seem to matter to her that she was white and Mira was not, or maybe it was that the white kids didn't really accept her because she was poor. Maybe she was just using Mira all along. When Mira learns that Jesse will be attending the wedding, she reluctantly agrees to make the drive, even though Celine is getting married on the old plantation where countless slaves were tortured and killed. When they were kids they heard the rumors and ghost stories about the plantation, and may have even witnessed something otherworldly themselves. Now it's all been renovated and turned into a vacation resort where the wealthy and privileged can watch slave reenactments while they pretend there was nothing wrong with owning people. But fresh paint and new construction can't hide what lurks beneath.

This was a more subtle kind of horror, very atmospheric and dark. The pace was a little slow although there is a pervasive sense of "wrongness" before Mira even reaches her destination. More than just a ghost story it shines a light on the stark contrast in the way the haves and have nots perceive the world.

3.5 out of 5 stars

I received an advance copy for review.

[whitewavedarling · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The structure of the early part of this book made it a slow ride in terms of my becoming engaged with the characters and story, but as I kept going on got past the first third or so of the book, it became harder and harder to put the book down. McQueen's writing is sometimes a bit heavy-handed in terms of storytelling, and I'd love for more time to have gone into character development vs. theme development (where theme was already clear), but on the whole, I enjoyed this book. In its themes and blend of past with present, it was somewhat reminiscent of some of my favorite Morrison works, and I'm certain I'll pick up the next book McQueen writes. That said, I do think this might have been a better work if some real cuts had been made to the beginning chapters and to the more heavy-handed writing moments, as the book was at its best when engaged in description/atmosphere and present scenes/moments. I'll be curious to see what her next book is like.

[froxgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Liked: the disgust with using former plantations as wedding venues, with no shame. The riveting depiction of the massive cruelty of slave holders. Disliked: the protagonist, her relationship with the two other main characters, the ghosts/magical realism, the plot, the ending.