In the Upper Country by Kai Thomas is a mesmerizing debut novel that explores freedom, family, and the interconnections between white, Black, and Indigenous communities in 1859 Ontario.

At once intimate and majestic, Thomas’s ambitious work heralds a bright new Canadian voice. This tale of two unforgettable, vibrant, strong, complex, resilient women who share an extraordinary hidden connection is both accessible and as beautifully crafted as it is stunningly original. Kai Thomas is using historical fiction as a way of understanding the world.

In the Upper Country follows Lensinda, a young woman who lives and works in Dunmore, a small town at the southern tip of Ontario that serves as a terminus of the Underground Railroad. Lensinda is tasked with interviewing a very old woman—a refugee from slavery who sits in the county jail awaiting trial for the murder of a slave-catcher. As the two bargain “a tale for a tale”, their stories intertwine in startling ways.

Kai spent years researching Black lives across eastern North America, including how they intersected with Indigenous individuals and communities.