Sugar in the Blood

Set in the late 1630s, the narrative follows George Ashby, Andrea Stuart's ancestor, who unexpectedly becomes a sugar plantation owner in Barbados. His journey reflects the broader historical context of the sugar trade, which intertwined the fates of ambitious white entrepreneurs and enslaved black workers. Through her family's story spanning from the 17th century to the present, Stuart explores themes of migration, settlement, survival, and the complex legacy of slavery in shaping the Americas.