The Liquid Plain by Naomi Wallace

Picture the docks of late 18th-century Rhode Island: salt in the air, ropes creaking, and two runaway slaves, Adjua and Dembi, planning a desperate, daring run toward freedom.

Then a chance encounter changes everything. Two worlds collide, painful truths surface, and the brutality of past crimes spills into the next generation.

This is a play, and it reads like poetry. It’s a gripping piece of historical drama that lingers long after the last page. Perfect for lovers of literary fiction, theater readers, and anyone drawn to stories that face American history head-on.

What the critics are saying:

• Time Out New York praised it as “historical, epic and poetic.”
• The New Yorker called it “Elegant … as much a poet as she is a playwright.”
• Talkin’ Broadway hailed it as “a powerful, cathartic reminder that true freedom always starts in the soul and proceeds outward, transforming – and exalting – everything in its path.”
• Historian and social critic Robin D. G. Kelley said it “does not dramatize ‘facts’ but lays bare emotional truths.”

Here at the shop, nestled by the cove, we love a book that makes you stop and think. Bring this one home, find a quiet corner, and let the words wash over you like the tide.

Browse our curated Literary Fiction shelves for more stories that stay with you.

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