Of One Blood

by Pauline Hopkins

TW: Death, Racial slurs, Murder, Domestic abuse, Incest, Animal death, Mentions of Rape, Doctor/Patient relationship, Colorism

Of One Blood; Or, The Hidden Self by Pauline E. Hopkins is an interesting mix of Gothic, romance, Afrofuturism, and adventure. The beginning half is set in Boston, Massachusetts in the 1880s. The second half transitions to Africa as Reuel Briggs, our main character, journeys to Ethiopia on an archaeological expedition. 

Reuel’s introduction comes after some beautiful but desolate descriptions of scenery, November rain, and freezing temperatures. These match Reuel’s mood and his outlook on life. He thinks, “Briggs could have told you that the bareness and desolateness of apartment were like his life, but he was a reticent man who knew how to suffer in silence” (1). This is our look at the world through his eyes. 

The beginning half sets us up with a look into Boston society and Reuel’s place in it. He is a medical student with financial troubles and a secret he staunchly ignores leaves him separated from those around him. His friend, Aubrey Livingston, tries to help Reuel when possible leading them both to meet the Black, Southern singer, Dianthe Lusk. 

There’s this almost meandering pace to the beginning. Reuel uses mysticism and the supernatural atmosphere places an uncanny air. He goes to a dinner party where they tell ghost stories, and has visions in his sleep. Hopkins highlights the supernatural elements with nods to Frankenstein and Lovecraft. The love story, with these uncanny elements as well, is the focus and it feels like what you would typically think of as a classic literature book. 

The bridge between the two halves is almost shocking when it comes but that lends itself to the continuous twists and turns.

As Reuel journies to Nubia, his group runs into many dangers. The archeologists hypothesize that the civilization they are looking for was more advanced than even the Egyptians and gave birth to civilization. The tonal shift adds an adventurous excitement to the novel and takes on a more ‘fun’ reading experience. 
What he finds there will have Ruel facing his identity and redefine what his place is. 

Without going into spoilers past that, I thought the second half was a bit rushed at times, especially towards the end which caused everything to come together a bit chaotically. There are plot points that come up and are never seen again, and drama that extends longer than its stay. I’ve seen several critiques of this book and others applauding it outright. I sit in between these. It is no perfect novel, and this read through the weaknesses were more obvious, but Of One Blood meditates on our world and creates additions that were thought-provoking, difficult, and in some cases fun to read. 

Hopkins writes about literature, history, race, and mysticism in Of One Blood. Her prose is beautiful and the way she articulates her ideas is direct and without flinch. “Hopkins wrote the novel intending, in her own words, to "raise the stigma of degradation from the [Black] race." The title, Of One Blood, refers to the biological kinship of all human beings.”’ 

This was a reread for those who followed my reading journey in my Instagram stories. I think this book benefits from discussion (which I had during school). If you can find some reading questions of companion I think that would make your read even better.