How long can the shadows of the past hang over one family? Philip Richards puts little value on his life. He avoids close relationships and blames himself for the sexual abuse his sister suffered at the hands of their grandfather. To drown his sorrows and evade his guilt, Philip drinks too much and engages in dangerous activities. When his father dies, two more life-changing events take place. Philip meets Edith, a free-spirited poet, with whom he feels an instant connection. He also comes across a manuscript, a stolen narrative that chronicles the Civil War relationship between his ancestor, Russell, and Fever, the slave who became his wife. As new details about Philip's family and his own identity come to light, his perception of who he is and where he comes from is turned on its head. But even as Philip comes to terms with the issues that have loomed over his family for decades, fresh allegations bring the crimes of the past flooding into the present . . . Echoes of Our Ancestors is a dark and moving multi-generational saga that explores themes of trauma, race, and abuse-and the question of whether, and how, we can free ourselves from the past.