Imagine......

Kindred:

Imagine, if you will, a young woman, moving into her first home, trying to figure out what will go where wondering if you will ever finish. Then, you feel faint, the room begins to spin and as you fall to the ground, you hear your husband call your name.

You wake up, you are outside and its pouring rain. You hear screaming and see a woman, looking at her son, drowning.  You get up, run to save the boy, pull him to shore and are immediately greeted by a double barrel shot gun.  You feel faint again and come “home” to your living room, with your husband leaning over you asking – where did you go?....

Such is the opening of Kindred by Octavia E. Butler, the first African American woman writer of to be published in the science fiction genre. 

The main character Dana (Edana) Franklin, makes 6 trips like this in the course of this book.  The young man she saves, is actually one of her ancestors, who calls on her whenever he is in trouble.  It is never explained why he calls on her or even how.  But this book on time travel had me riveted.  From the opening scene to the end, this is one that will keep you thinking.....