The undertaker's assistant

During the Civil War, a Union surgeon rescues Effie, a homeless child, and takes her home and educates her in the family business as an undertaker. After the war, grown-up Effie heads for New Orleans to live among other freed Negroes (as she calls herself) and to discover the love she's never known. Effie finds an undertaking job and a boarding house for black women but, ironically, she doesn't fit in. Effie talks like a white person. She's uncomfortable with glamorous Creoles and struggles with issues like family name and the lightness of her skin. She is ignorant of Reconstruction-era politics that involve her first lover, a black Congressman. But when racial violence erupts, her unique skills draw her into the maelstrom. Will Effie run or find her place? Readers who like complex characters amid a roiling historical setting will be fascinated by Effie's quest.--Jeanne Greene Copyright 2010 Booklist

Euphemia "Effie" Jones, born into slavery in Louisiana, escaped as a child and became the ward of a well-known white surgeon from Indiana. While serving as the surgeon's assistant during the Civil War, she became a skilled undertaker and embalmer, then after the Civil War moved to New Orleans to be an embalmer for a local undertaker and reconnect with her past. In New Orleans, Effie, staunchly practical, forms an unlikely friendship with Adeline, a charming and elegant Creole woman, who introduces Effie to local society. Effie falls for Samson Greene, a freedman and state politician, and begins participating in local political events and clubs organized by Samson. As Effie forms relationships and settles in New Orleans, she begins to remember key moments in her traumatic past. Set in a time of sweeping historical change, Effie's story is one of personal growth, self-discovery, friendship, and betrayal. VERDICT Effie's community of freedmen and Creoles in Reconstruction New Orleans is unforgettable. Skenandore's second novel (after Between Earth and Sky) is recommended for readers who enjoy medical historical fiction reminiscent of Diane McKinney-Whetstone's Lazaretto, and historical fiction with interpersonal drama.--Emily Hamstra, Seattle