Although this is a fictional accounting of the relationship between Sally Hemmings, slave, and Thomas Jefferson, I feel the author did an excellent job in portraying the relationship between the two as well as the complicated familial ties that were the make-up of Monticello. Jefferson took Sally as his mistress when she was a mere 14 YO, after his wife died. There was a 29 year difference in their ages. While in France, where slavery was outlawed and Sally could have 'strolled' away, she opted to stay. Complicated and secretive (not really) love/hate relationship that lasted long after Jefferson's death.
