Angel Thieves by Kathi Appelt (review)

This story is about sixteen-year-old Cade Curtis, who steals angel statues from cemeteries to pay his rent; it’s about Soleil Broussard, who misses the toddler she helped in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey; it’s about an ocelot named Zorra, trapped in a cage and spirited away from her homeland. In another time, in the same place, the recently liberated eighteen-year-old Achsah escapes with her still-enslaved daughters after her master’s death; a Black Cherokee slave sculpts angel statues with one closed fist; a reverend’s household runs an operation to ferry slaves to freedom in Mexico. Meanwhile, Houston’s Buffalo Bayou—where these clashing stories occur—observes them all and remembers their names and stories. This sweeping novel embraces the many facets of Houston’s history as it jumps across time to narrate the lives of its large cast through varied perspectives, guided along by the bayou herself and occasional river haints. The characters’ interwoven lives construct a moving narrative about freedom, the many manifestations of love, and hope and beauty in the face of tragedies both natural and human. Ultimately, this story is a heartfelt love letter to Houston that acknowledges the bad parts of its history while uplifting the good. A bibliography and author’s note are included, with information about slavery in Texas and the black markets for exotic animals and stolen cemetery statues.