The Runaway Quilt
By Jennifer Chiaverini

Reviewed by Andrea Lord

This is, I think, the fourth novel centered in quilting by this author. I read her first novel The Quilter's Apprentice, and, although the tone was warm; the writing was stilted, the characters lacked depth and the motivations were somewhat forced.

Even though these critisms are still in evidence with this newest novel, The Runaway Quilt's own story is so strong, fascinating and courageous, it negates the mediocre presentation.

We join the story with Sylvia Thompson giving a lecture on quilt history. She encounters a woman who owns a quilt that seems to give directions to Sylvia's home, Elk Creek Farm. Sylvia is somewhat skeptical because there is no connection between the two families.

The mystery deepens when the woman explains that it might have been made by one of the slaves that her family owned - this is odd because Sylvia had no idea that her family was involved with any aspect of slavery.

Later, as Sylvia is replaying this conversation, she remembers an old chest left by her great-aunt Gerda. Going up to the attic, she opens the chest and finds a journal by her Great Aunt Gerda, and we hear the story.

Gerda, her brother Hans, and her sister-in-law Anneke were part of the underground railway in Virginia. Their farm Elk Creek was a station for the underground railway.

One of the signs used was a quilt that bore a certain pattern with the center square colored black.Hung on the line, this quilt declared that the homestead was a safe place.

One day a runaway slave named Joanna showed up pregnant with her master's child. Winter was closing in and unable to travel the dangerous trek of the railroad, Joanna had to stay until the child was born.

Slave catchers showed up periodically in all of the homesteads in the areas, and Anneke, who was also pregnant, was afraid. She was young and worked for the local preacher who told her that slavery was permitted because it appeared in the Bible. Gerda was aghast and pointed out that evil was also in the Bible, and so one should be discerning about the lessons to be taken from the book.

Anneke and Joanna had their babies within a few weeks of each other - both boys. One day the slave catchers came and found Joanna. They took her away with them but as Gerda was holding Joanna's baby, who did not appear to be black, he was left behind.

Gerda and Hans were arrested and in the melee it became clear that Anneke had turned them in because she was afraid for her own child. Seeing Hans and Gerda arrested, Anneke realized that she had been used. After Gerda and Hans had been released, the authorities came back and asked about the second child. Anneke told them she had had twins and claimed both children. The boys were raised together and thought they were brothers.

The family planned to tell the boys of their history but it just never happened. Gerda in her journal never reveals which one was which.

We rejoin Sylvia, as she comes to realize that one of the boys was her grand-father and she now doesn't know if she is part black or not. She also realizes that the quilt described after her lecture had been made by Joanna after she had been re-captured.

The story is courageous. Twisting a family's life, threading the different cultures, weaving a life story into a quilt that showed true American diversity.