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Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende
Island Beneath the Sea (the title refers to the underworld of the dead) is Isabel Allende's novel about colonial Haiti. At the center of the story is Zarité (known as Tété, a mulatto slave in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (Haiti). She's the servant to the wife of Toulouse Valmorain, the owner of the plantation. When the wife is driven mad by the constant sound of voodoo drums, Valmorain makes Zarité his concubine. Though she suffers continual maltreatment as a slave, she finds comfort in the voodoo loas and hopes for a better life. She's seizes the opportunity of the slave rebellion to save Valmorain life's as they find a new life in New Orleans. Zarité detests Valmorain, but she barters for freedom for herself and her child. Island Beneath the Sea has received mostly positive reviews with BookPage saying, "Island Beneath the Sea is classic Allende-sensual, gripping and infused with a touch of magic. And though she lives through many heartbreaking moments, Tété is nothing if not a survivor and an inspiration."
