I could not wait to read this book. I was so excited to see that the author is from my native town, Memphis. That made me even more excited to read this debut novel from a fellow Memphian. Wench is an excellent tale of the daily emotional conflict that these four women felt towards their slaveholders. Lizzie, Mawu, Sweet and Reenie share two summers together at Tawawa House - a summer resort in Ohio. Although the book is about these 4 women and their relationships with their masters, the main focus of the book is Lizzie. Towards the middle of the book, we learn about Lizzie's complicated history with Drayle. It gives insight into why she betrayed Mawu.I enjoyed the book even though I wasn't fond of Lizzie. And about 85% of the book was about her. There was an entire section dedicated to Lizzie and Drayle's story. I felt that if the book was about her, then the other 3 women should have been more background characters. I became invested in the other three women. I finished the book wanting to no more about Sweet, Mawu and Reenie. We're only given a little taste into those women's lives and I wanted more.Wench gives insight into the ugly history of slavery and the relationship between the white masters and black female slaves. It's a quick and easy read that intermingles a little history and fiction.
