Redwood and Wildfire

by Andrea Hairston

"An affirmation of the power of joy to transform the world, and reading it will make you sing like a bird while wishing for wings with which to fly." -Nisi Shawl


At the turn of the 20th century, minstrel shows transform into vaudeville, which slides into moving pictures. Hunkering together in dark theatres, diverse audiences marvel at flickering images. This "dreaming in public" becomes common culture and part of what transforms immigrants and "native" born into Americans.

Redwood, an African American woman, and Aidan, a Seminole Irish man, journey from Georgia to Chicago, from haunted swampland to a "city of the future." They are gifted performers and hoodoo conjurors, struggling to call up the wondrous world they imagine, not just on stage and screen, but on city streets, in front parlors, in wounded hearts. The power of hoodoo is the power of the community that believes in its capacities to heal and determine the course of today and tomorrow.

Living in a system stacked against them, Redwood and Aidan's power and talent are torment and joy. Their search for a place to be who they want to be is an exhilarating, painful, magical adventure.

• ISBN10: 1250808707
• ISBN13: 9781250808707
• Publish Date: 1 February 2022 (first published 1 February 2011)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 5 April 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 448
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Redwood and Wildfire is the latest read in my fantasy/historical fiction stint that I've been working so hard on. This novel has a lot to offer written by Andrea Hairston, as it merges many of my favorite fictional elements together.

This is the story of Redwood and Aiden. One is an African American woman, the other a Seminole Irish man. Both can conjure, and they do so frequently. Sometimes as a performance, and sometimes for personal reasons.

These powers do little to negate all of the odds stacked against them. They live in a world that wants to see them fail. Yet together, these two will find their way from Georgia to Chicago, where hopefully a new future will be waiting.

“No one should let yesterday use up too much of today. Easy to say, hard to live.”

Redwood and Wildfire is a complex novel. It's multi-layered, thought-provoking, and defies easy description. Naturally, that is making my job just a tad difficult here. This is a heavy yet beautifully written novel that seamlessly merges real life with fantasy.

I honestly don't think that the description (any version I've seen) has done Redwood and Wildfire justice. Perhaps it isn't possible. This is one of those books that you have to experience for yourself.

Though I should mention that there are a lot of complex subjects within this book, including a couple of notable trigger warnings (rape and lynching). So please consider yourself warned before picking up Redwood and Wildfire.

Thanks to Aqueduct Press and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks