The Blueprint

"The Blueprint is an astounding work, an unflinching portrait of misogyny and racism in a speculative world terrifyingly close to our own. Rae Giana Rashad chronicles the generational ghosts of womanhood, and how we understand ourselves through the stories of those we come from, in a way I've never read before. A remarkable new talent, and a timeless literary voice."-Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push In the vein of Octavia E. Butler and Margaret Atwood, a harrowing dystopian novel set in an alternate United States-a world of injustice and bondage in which a young Black woman becomes the concubine of a powerful white government official and must face the dangerous consequences of their profound power imbalance. Solenne Bonet lives in Texas where choice no longer exists. An algorithm determines a Black woman's occupation, spouse, and residence. Solenne finds solace in penning the biography of Henriette, an ancestor who'd been an enslaved concubine to a wealthy planter in 1800s Louisiana. But history repeats itself when Solenne, lonely and naïve, finds herself entangled with Bastien Martin, a high-ranking government official. Solenne finds the psychological bond unbearable, so she considers alternatives. With Henriette as her guide, she must decide whether and how to leave behind all she knows. Inspired by the lives of enslaved concubines to U.S. politicians and planters, this speculative fiction novel, The Blueprint, unfolds over dual timelines to explore bodily autonomy, hypocrisy, and power imbalances through the lens of the nation's most unprotected: a Black girl.

Rae Giana Rashad is the PEN-nominated author of The Blueprint. A native Texan, she lives in the Dallas area with her husband and children. Sweet Water is her second novel.