This is the kind of book where if you don't do a little research along the way, there is a good chance you might be somewhat lost. Context is everything in 'Ring Shout' and it's a wild ride. I saw in the acknowledgements that Clark was inspired by Toni Morrison, which appeared to me through the way the protagonist's knowledge of her environment and self were always extremely present and in the moment, with the stability of her sense of self and her actions keeping the convulsing world around her in place. This book builds the world through her eyes and as the reader you have to try to understand who the main character is based on her perspective; the plot is not spelled out - you just need to keep up. 'Ring Shout' reminded me of the tagline of 'Babel' by RF Kuang - 'the necessity of violence.' At what point is vengeance necessary and when does the ethics of vengeance enter the conversation? Is it possible to take the need for regaining rights and control too far? Or is the reality so extreme that the best and only option for change is anarchy and revolution? Ring Shout explores these questions and more while also packing a magic, folklore, history, tradition, horror, and wonderful characters into 180 pages. I found this book to be relevant to the post-2024-election questions, anger, and protestation, as well as 2020 BLM movement. I also learned much about Gullah culture, the origins of ring shouts - history and tradition that never seems to make it to the front of US history conversations. Highly recommend.