THe Last Dreamwalker by Rita Woods

The Last Dreamwalker is a story of discovery both with self and with family. It’s a story of painful history and the traditions that follow. I found myself relating to this story and feeling emotionally entangled even with the most fantastical aspects.

Layla Hurley’s mother, Elinor, has died. We open right before the funeral and Layla is in her mother’s home looking for a brooch that she had always worn so that her mother can be buried in a complete and fully her outfit. In this tender moment we learn that Elinor and Layla had a very strained relationship. Tough love would be a kind way to put it…

We also learn that Layla has very vivid dreams, so vivid that they seem to affect her in real life. It’s not uncommon for her to wake up with scratches, bruises, even the room in shambles! This peaks the curiosity as the reader, is this really happening or is this some sort of delusion?

At the funeral we get intorduced to my favorite characters…The Aunties! Layla and her brother’s are shocked that their aunts, Elinor’s sisters, showed up. They’re surprised because their mother refused to see them or talk to them. So to a certain degree the aunties are a mystery to them.
Aunt Therese and Aunt Jayne speak with Layla and drop a bunch of wild lore! for starters Layla has been deeded half of a Gullah Geechee island, Scotia Island. And that Layla is a dreamwalker just like her mother. record scratch - like her mother?? This is fresh information to Layla.

Layla embarks on a journey learning about her family history. Especially this ‘gift’ of being a dreamwalker. The most curious part of this being that this ‘gift’ is passed down third daughter to third daughter.

The intrigue of this story isn’t only with Layla’s perspective, we also follow Gemma in 1861. Gemma is Layla’s ancestor who was enslaved on the plantation Ainsli Green on Scotia Island. Gemma walks in the plantation owner’s dreams. She is in his dreams because she is determined to get him to sign the deed papers for the island to her and her descendants thus granting them freedom for generations.

We bounce between these perspectives and learn so much about the family and everyone’s motivations.

I ate this story up! I thought it was so so good! My heart went out to Layla, here she is just having lost her mom who she always had a rocky relationship with , and now she’s learning about her mother in a whole new light. Some things added to that strain between her and her mom, while other things shook her to her core and made her view her mom as a woman she never actual knew.

Layla learns haunting stories about the island and what happens to people who disrespect the land. She encounters a family member she never knew about who does not want her to be around. She learns more about her abilities and how that connects her to the women in her family.

I love stories that explore dreams. I’m not a dreamwalker of course, haha, but within my family and other families I know of we all take dreams very serious. Viewing them as messages from a higher power or from ancestors. Always there to guide us and provide a roadmap for a journey or show up as a warning.

I also really enjoyed how this story picks at what it’s like to grow up and see your parents/elders as people, not just their role as guardian. I’ve heard or been told stories of my parents and ahve been shocked at the life they have lived before I graced them with my presence (lol).

This story will have you feeling very reflective. Not only on family dynamics, but also with history. Gemma’s story was so impactful. She was doing every thing she possibly could to grant her daughters their freedom. The freedom that they deserved.

I hope you enjoy this book and that it has you paying extra attention to your dreams. Maybe start a new dream journal. Ancestors may be trying to deliver you a message.