Tall Poppy Review: A Heroine Ventures “Into the Free”

Into the Free by Julie Cantrell

It’s hard to place Into the Free (Thomas Nelson) into one genre. The novel plays with conventions common to historical fiction and coming-of-age parables, but Julie Cantrell delivers a wholly unique story in her novel. From high in the branches of her favorite sweet gum tree, Millie Reynolds watches a long black train slice through the fields that surround the hovel where she lives with her “nothing mama” and abusive father. She calls down to her friend and elderly neighbor, Sloth, and asks him where he thinks the train is going. “Into the free,” he says. Millie imagines “the free” as a place far different from her Depression-era Mississippi existence, where nine year old girls like her “aren’t afraid of their fathers. Where mothers don’t get the blues. Where Mr. Sutton doesn’t own the whole wide world.” She climbs higher, willing the train to turn around and take her with it into “the free.” For years, Millie suffers under the yoke of poverty, trauma, and abuse, always believing there is something better out there for her, always feeling as though it’s just outside of her grasp. When she is sixteen, Millie gets the wish she made that day high up in the tree, but it’s not a train that takes her away. Instead, she’s swept up with a band of roving gypsies who move through town each spring. Captivated by their charm and whimsy and unabashed freedom, Millie finally leaves home. “The free” isn’t what Millie expects. It is exhilarating, yes, but also treacherous. Full of opportunity, and at the same time danger. The unique cast of characters Millie meets there, from gypsies to rodeo cowboys and farmers, offer her something else: a way to unlock the long-buried secrets of her past – secrets her mother never wanted found. Along the way, Millie learns that “the free” isn’t necessarily a physical location; through love, forgiveness, and resilience, she discovers it’s been inside of her all along. In a lesser author’s hands, a story that tackles such tough issues might feel depressing or overwrought, but Cantrell’s is a deft touch. Her prose is achingly beautiful – poetic and lyrical. Her characters are intricate and complex, and the descriptions of the 1940s South are brimming with authenticity and richness. Millie’s faith in humanity, in God, and ultimately in herself creates powerful undercurrents of hope that buoy the story and leaves the reader thinking long after the last page has been turned. If you enjoyed Kathryn Stockett’s The Help or Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin, you’re going to love Julie Cantrell’s Into the Free. Into the Free is now available for purchase.