I absolutely adored Anna Jean's first book, The Dry Grass of August. Such a touching story. I was very excited when I saw that she had another novel coming out and demanded an ARC immediately. Yes, I did say demand. :)
I was not disappointed in any way. The characters continue to be richly alive and I love the way she shared several families lives that were living in this threatened neighborhood. The sense of place was strong and you could envision yourself watching how the story unfolds from the neighborhood street corner.
The novel touches on those ever so delicate race issues that arose/continued to be after segregation was ended on paper - as we all know this doesn't mean it ends in real life.
I highly recommend this book.
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From the author of the acclaimed The Dry Grass of August comes a richly researched yet lyrical Southern-set novel that explores the conflicts of gentrification—a moving story of loss, love, and resilience.
In 1961 Charlotte, North Carolina, the predominantly black neighborhood of Brooklyn is a bustling city within a city. Self-contained and vibrant, it has its own restaurants, schools, theaters, churches, and night clubs. There are shotgun shacks and poverty, along with well-maintained houses like the one Loraylee Hawkins shares with her young son, Hawk, her Uncle Ray, and her grandmother, Bibi. Loraylee’s love for Archibald Griffin, Hawk’s white father and manager of the cafeteria where she works, must be kept secret in the segregated South.
Loraylee has heard rumors that the city plans to bulldoze her neighborhood, claiming it’s dilapidated and dangerous. The government promises to provide new housing and relocate businesses. But locals like Pastor Ebenezer Polk, who’s facing the demolition of his church, know the value of Brooklyn does not lie in bricks and mortar. Generations have lived, loved, and died here, supporting and strengthening each other. Yet street by street, longtime residents are being forced out. And Loraylee, searching for a way to keep her family together, will form new alliances—and find an unexpected path that may yet lead her home.
- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Kensington (March 26, 2019)
