I did a quick read of this in preparation for the seminar for my Great Stories Club grant. I am going to read it again more in depth before our book discussion. The story takes place in 1977 and the pre-Civil War 1800s. Dana, an African American woman, and her husband who is white, are moving into a new apartment when Dana suddenly passes out and finds herself back in the 1800s, She rescues drowning toddler named Rufus and is about to be beaten for harming the child when she just as suddenly is transported back to her present. The episodes continue happening, each one lasting for a longer time period. They are directly related to times when Rufus, an ancestor of Dana, is in danger and Dana must save him to guarantee her future existence. Each time she returns to the past she must undergo further physical trauma. The story is intriguing and I intend to read the novel it is based on. However, the artwork in the graphic novel is problematic. At first glance Dana seems to be a man and I was a couple pages into the story before I realized he was a she. Also, because of the way the facial features were drawn, the slave characters almost appear to have mustaches no matter their gender. The artwork detracted rather than enhanced the story.
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