Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses racism, racist violence, suicide, and miscarriage.

Eleanor “Ellie” Hockley is the epitome of the rural white girl who grows up in an insular environment, only to discover belatedly that the world—even the world within the confines of her home county—is not what it seems. Encouraged by her enlightened Aunt Carol, Ellie’s perception of racial inequality is at first an intellectual pursuit, fueled by unspoken guilt over her role in the death of Mattie, the daughter of her Black housekeeper. Then, she finds Rev. Greg Filburn and insists that she wants to volunteer to register voters. The novel traces Ellie’s journey from relative ignorance of racial disparity to first-hand knowledge. It suggests that ignorance perpetuates disparity and that educating oneself and others is a difficult but necessary pursuit.

Chamberlain portrays Ellie becoming less ignorant through visceral descriptions of racial disparity. While the training is a moving experience, her true awakening comes when she moves into the field and lives among Black citizens. Ellie has no idea of the degree of poverty that many families endure within Derby County. She has no idea of the fear faced by many Black families, sharecroppers, and subsistence workers who may lose their incomes and homes if they are brash enough to register to vote.