The novel touches on several notable historical events, from the introduction of cacao as a crop in Ghana and the Anglo-Asante wars in Ghana to slavery, segregation, the convict leasing system, the Great Migration, and the jazz age in Harlem in America.[2] Because of the novel's scope, which covers several hundred years of history and fourteen characters, it has been described as "a novel in short stories" where "each chapter is forced to stand on its own."[3]
In addition to the above historical events, this novel explores several literary themes and motifs, including the 'upstairs, downstairs' trope.[4] This effect is first demonstrated by Effia literally living above her half-sister Esi, unaware of the atrocities occurring in the basement of the Cape Coast castle. Then themes of generational trauma and guilt follow these 2 lineages as Esi's lineage has to cope with the impacts of slavery and structural racism in the US and Effia's line copes with the limited knowledge of the role their family played in the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
