Originally published in 1986, Dessa Rose was recently republished with an eye toward the booming book club market. The cover touts its status as a book group selection, and the inside provides information about a free discussion guide. But I’m not sure I would recommend it to the members of my book club. It’s an interesting book, with some nice passages and a few good insights. But it’s just not that compelling. I kept comparing it to other, similar stories and finding it lacking.

Dessa Rose is actually based on two true stories: one concerns a white woman who was rumored to have provided refuge for runaway slaves, and the other concerns a pregnant slave sentenced to death for starting an uprising. Williams fictionalizes these two accounts and has the two women meet and interact with each other. It’s an interesting premise, and it works some of the time.

The first part of the book is told primarily from the point of view of Dessa, the pregnant slave who is sentenced to death. As she awaits the birth of her child, she is interviewed by a pompous, annoying man who wants to use her story in his new book on slave rebellions – and how to avoid them. In a roundabout way, Dessa tells the man some things about her life, but never what he wants to know.

Just as Dessa’s baby is about to be born, she escapes with the help of two friends and comes to the home of a white woman to convalesce. This begins the second part of the book, which is told from the point of view of Ruth, the white woman who provides sanctuary for the runaways. Ruth is not what you’d expect. Her husband is a gambler who deserted her and left the plantation in her hands. Most of the slaves have run away, her beloved mammy has just died, and she isn’t really sure what to do with herself. Her motivation for helping the runaways is not entirely altruistic; they are helping her do the work of the plantation, and she still thinks of herself as superior to them.

The third part of the book is by far the most interesting. Several of the ex-slaves cook up a plan with Ruth that will net them all some much needed cash. They will travel to isolated towns with Ruth as mistress, and she will sell the slaves. After a day or two, they’ll run away, and she’ll sell them again in the next settlement. The eventual goal is for the slaves to get enough money to go west, and Ruth to go north. This section differs dramatically from the other two, and is quite humorous at times. It is only during this odd, scheming journey that Ruth and Dessa really get to know each other.

This is an interesting book, but getting through the first sections isn’t easy. The first features thick dialect that is hard to decipher at times, and the tone is very melancholy – which is understandable, considering the subject matter. The second section drags a little. Both of them seem out of joint with the entertaining third section. The idea of slaves using the evil system of slavery for their own benefit – and laughing all the way to the bank – is very clever.

There is some romantic love in this book. Dessa is surprised to get a second chance at love, and Ruth also has a lover for a time. While the scenes between these lovers are subtle, the book also contains some very explicit sex scenes which are not romantic in nature. They have to do with lovers in a master/slave relationship, and while they prove a point they are also pretty distasteful. They also account for the “burning” sensuality rating.

Dessa Rose is not a bad read. It has some interesting ideas, and a few good scenes. But it’s also uneven, and there are and a lot of other books out there on the same subject that are better. You and your book club can make the call.