Publishers Weekly
11/06/2023
Rashad’s consuming debut imagines a dystopian near future shaped by a second American civil war in 1954. In 2030, Black people, classified as Descendants of Slavery, are controlled by a new, white-led government known as the Order. DoS men serve as soldiers and DoS women are forced into work contracts for white men at the age of 15, then paired by an algorithm with a Black man when they are old enough to marry. Solenne Bonet has been contracted for five years to Bastien Martin, a high-ranking Order official who built the algorithm, and lives as his wife, having fallen in love with him and believing he would grant her freedom. Now coming to terms with the fact that love can’t exist in such a relationship, she runs to Louisiana—the only state where DoS can be free. Throughout her journey, Solenne is guided by the echoing narrative of her 19th-century ancestor, Henriette, who contended with a slave owner’s abusive obsession. The cat-and-mouse chase involving Bastien, a powerful man who will stop at nothing, and Solenne, a woman fiercely determined to gain her autonomy, thrills and disturbs. It’s a provocative and worthy mash-up of historical and speculative fiction. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
"Ambitious in its themes." — New York Times Book Review
“Rashad pulls off a near-impossible feat . . . . Every sentence cuts as Rashad explores the intricacies of power and subjection.” — Washington Post
"The Blueprint is an astounding work, an unflinching portrait of misogyny and racism in a speculative world terrifyingly close to our own. Rae Giana Rashad chronicles the generational ghosts of womanhood, and how we understand ourselves through the stories of those we come from, in a way I’ve never read before. A remarkable new talent, and a timeless literary voice." — Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push
"A book in an intense, boundary-pushing conversation with The Handmaid’s Tale. . . . Inventive, ferocious, and laser-focused, The Blueprint promises to skewer the hypocrisies that already punctuate our reality." — Elle
“A consuming debut . . . a provocative and worthy mash-up of historical and speculative fiction.” — Publishers Weekly
"Rashad’s fantastic debut evokes familiar history, such as Sally Hemings’ forced relationship with Thomas Jefferson, yet is also wholly new, weaving together vividly imagined characters in Solenne and Henriette and deftly moving through multiple time periods while capturing Solenne’s haunted yet strong voice. . . . Horrifying, captivating, and full of urgency." — Kirkus Reviews
"Masterful. . . . Filled with themes such as regret, rebellion, tyranny, and courage, The Blueprint is a compelling read." — Christian Science Monitor
"This one held me captive for two days." — LaToya Watkins, National Book Award nominee for Holler, Child
"This novel explores race, free will, and what it means to be a woman, using speculative fiction in the grand tradition of Octavia Butler." — Booklist
"Provocative . . . Rashad is terrific at characterization—we feel deeply Solenne's confusion, pain and hope. As she ponders her mother's words and tries to take control of her own life, she springs to vivid life." — The Star Tribune
“It seems impossible that The Blueprint is Rae Giana Rashad’s debut novel, given its perfect pacing and complex characters." — Shelf Awareness
Kirkus Reviews
2024-01-05
In 2030, a Black woman seeks emancipation from the white government official who owns her.
Solenne Bonet is a DoS (Descendent of Slavery) who, when she was 15, was delivered to the white man the algorithm had assigned her to until it was time for her to be married to a Black man and have children. But her fate is derailed when Bastien Martin, the president’s son, spots Solenne and claims her for his own, beginning a five-year relationship during which he refuses to set her free. This novel imagines a second Civil War beginning in 1954, after which the country established military rule, reinstated slavery for Black women, forced Black men to be in the military, and outlawed reproductive choice. Solenne has been raised to be a concubine, but she grows up hearing the tales of her ancestor Henriette, a Fulani girl brought to this country on a slave ship, who repeatedly tried to escape the master who forced her to bear multiple children; eventually, Solenne begins to compose a book about Henriette to trace her own lineage and map out how she too might seek freedom. Solenne hopes to escape Bastien by fleeing to Louisiana, the last remaining free state, only to be subject to his political influence and technological monitoring. Solenne grapples with the tensions and manipulations involved when Bastien says he’s devoted to her while working politically and privately to further restrict her freedom. Rashad’s fantastic debut evokes familiar history, such as Sally Hemings’ forced relationship with Thomas Jefferson, yet is also wholly new, weaving together vividly imagined characters in Solenne and Henriette and deftly moving through multiple time periods while capturing Solenne’s haunted yet strong voice: “I was the storm. That’s what [the president] said when I was sixteen. Now I was the uprooted tree the storm sent careening through windows. I would wreck everything.”
Horrifying, captivating, and full of urgency.
