Book Review: The Freedom Maze by Delia Sherman

Chafing, at what feels to Sophie to be her mother’s incomprehensible strictness, Sophie finds herself dumped at her grandmother’s house for the summer. And what first seems to be a dull summer in the south, becomes and adventure of self-discovery and growth. Set against the 1960’s Sophie explores the remnants of the plantation of her family.

Her tumble down the rabbit hole begins when she hears a whimsical voice while wandering through the garden maze. She makes an ignorant wish to have an adventure and make some friends, but then, she slips one hundred years into the past to 1860 and is mistaken for a slave on her grandmother’s plantation. This is unexpected and baffling to Sophie. In 1960, she is white, and now she is a slave? And expected to work? This is definitely not what she signed up for, but the tricky spirit that sent her back in time is nowhere to be found. Sophie’s journey home will certainly not return her the same as she left.

The Freedom Maze is a period framework story in which the protagonist discovers her inner strength and what it means to take responsibility and fully participate in her life, rather than simply let it be ruled by another and complain, expecting things to change, without taking actions for herself.

As a reader, I found myself identifying with Sophie so much so, that I viewed the world differently after finishing this thought-provoking book. This book deserves recognition, and I am sure that you too will gain insight from Sophie's adventure on an 1860's plantation.