Great historical fiction
I am not typically a fan of historical fiction, so I was unsure of how much I was going to enjoy THE RIB KING. I typically gravitate towards fast-paced books so this slow burn of a novel was a nice change of pace. I enjoyed slowing down, getting to know the characters, and watching the story of The Rib King unfold.
One thing I was not expecting when I started reading the book was the switch in main character about halfway through. The first half focuses on August Sitwell--the groundskeeper-turned-butler of the Barclay household. The second half focuses on Jennie Williams--the Barclay's maid. While The Rib King brand is the glue that binds the second half of the book to the first, it seemed to branch off into a direction that I was not expecting based on the synopsis. I was unsure at some points how all of the different details of the book were going to fit together, but Hubbard managed to pull everything together at the end of the book. The ending was one that I did not see coming.
While reading the book I kept thinking about brands like Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben's---how the real Black people behind these recognizable brands have been used by corporations run by predominantly white men to sell products. It's a conversation I know brands have had over the past handful of years, and this book does an excellent job of exploring the topic.
