The result is an enrapturing tale of survival that is simultaneously melancholic and passionate, introspective and propulsive, character rich and plot forward, as Junie barrels toward freeing herself from more than a few states of bondage.

An intelligent and restless young woman who has been given a taste of agency and wants more, Junie has lived her entire life on Bellereine Plantation in Lowndes County, Alabama, serving the McQueen family. Her role as 17-year-old Aislinn “Violet” Margaret’s personal maid affords Junie some advantages. Most notably, Violet secretly taught Junie how to read.

Violet is a sweet but sheltered young lady. She believes Junie is her best friend and wants to discuss the Victorian novels she adores as if they are equals. But Junie experiences their relationship with more complexity and refrains from revealing she isn’t nearly as impressed with “Wuthering Heights” as Violet. While their friendship provides Junie with certain benefits, it also places her in peril when Violet is careless about following the rules.

But Junie’s ability to read opens her up to the world. It is while cleaning Violet’s bookcase that Junie falls in love with poetry. The works of literary greats like William Wordsworth and John Keats offer her glimmers of hope and help fortify her identity.

Yet ghosts haunt Junie, both figuratively and literally. While she resides with her relatives who remain at Bellereine, some key players are missing. Her mother was sold, and her father died shortly after her birth. And Junie’s sister Minerva “Minnie” May died the previous winter. Not only does she miss Minnie terribly, but Junie also blames herself for her big sister’s death and is burdened to distraction by guilt.

Credit: Ballantine Books

Credit: Ballantine Books

Junie is in constant conflict with her grandmother, great-aunt and cousin, which magnifies her sense of alienation. They chide her when she disappears into the forest to daydream and be “carefree,” something she does frequently. Junie has a creative mind, a healthy ambition and a thirst for freedom to contend with. Deep in her heart, she “knows she certainly isn’t destined” to spend her days emptying chamber pots. Her favorite bard Keats never had to. Junie wants a life like Violet’s where she can while away her afternoons writing poetry.

Junie is an endearing character who is impossible not to root for, even if she is often stressful to observe. In a different environment, her self-possession may have led to her downfall. But the McQueens are too wrapped up in their own tumble from grace to crush Junie’s spirit as she struggles to come of age.

The family is on the precipice of financial ruin and, much like the other ghosts Junie encounters, are existing in the shadow of their former selves. Their only hope is to marry the beautiful Violet to a wealthy suitor willing to look past their diminished social standing and save Bellereine.

Eckstine’s intricate setup weaves together a vibrant cast of connected characters who hurtle toward surprising outcomes as her plot kicks into high gear. When the Taylor siblings from a wealthy Louisiana family arrive for an extended stay, the McQueens pull out all the stops hoping to impress — as Junie’s relations scramble to stretch the meager provisions still on hand.

The Taylors’ arrival complicates life for everyone at Bellereine. Junie doesn’t know what to think about their valet Caleb, a boy her age who insists on calling her Delilah June. And while Violet seems smitten with Beau, an eligible bachelor who is easy on the eyes, Junie sees through his genteel facade.

As Beau reveals his true colors, the tensions at the plantation ratchet. Junie fears Violet’s carefree days may be ending and realizes that although her captivity may come with different trappings, Violet isn’t any freer to choose her own life than Junie. Unfortunately for them both, as things get harder for Violet, her relationship with Junie is squeezed.

Junie figures out that once Violet is married, they will both be leaving the farm and visits Minnie’s grave site searching for a way to stay with her family. As if things aren’t complicated enough, Junie comes face to face with the impossible at the cemetery — Minnie’s ghost who has unfinished business and demands Junie’s assistance.

There’s a lot going on in “Junie,” and it comes together impressively. Erin Crosby Eckstine has poured a ton of heart into her characters as she constructs a plausible environment to explore the emotional and psychological hardships experienced during enslavement. From passion to betrayal, and heartache to triumph, Junie experiences them all as she stumbles toward self-governance.

FICTION

“Junie”

by Erin Crosby Eckstine

Ballantine Books

368 pages, $30