Amity by Nathan Harris review – perceptive portrait of slavery’s aftermath

<p>This follow-up to the Booker-listed The Sweetness of Water charts the perilous journeys of a brother and sister in the Reconstruction era, from the deep south to Mexico</p><p>As a fellow novelist, I do not envy&nbsp;Nathan Harris the task of&nbsp;coming up with a chaser to&nbsp;his 2021 debut, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jun/27/the-sweetness-of-water-nathan-harris-review-american-civil-war">The&nbsp;Sweetness of Water</a>. Booker-longlisted, a New York Times bestseller and Oprah’s Book Club pick, it even appeared on that list of stuff Barack Obama likes that I’ve always assumed some poor zoomer intern is tasked with making up at the end of every year (I’m maybe being cynical here – there is a non-zero chance that Obama really did spend 2022 blasting Ethel Cain. In which case, my apologies – and, samesies, Mr President!).</p><p>If Harris did feel sophomore jitters, then Amity, his 2025 follow-up, certainly doesn’t show them. This is a smart, sensitive and very assured novel, albeit one that doesn’t stray radically from the winning formula of its predecessor. Once again, Harris takes the Reconstruction-era deep south as his setting, and African American characters, recently – and tenuously – liberated from slavery are&nbsp;the driving force of his narrative.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/sep/29/amity-by-nathan-harris-review-perceptive-portrait-of-slaverys-aftermath">Continue reading...</a>