Johnson, Sarai
9780063294448, 0063294443
Paperback
 
In this stunning and emotionally resonant debut novel, four generations of complex Black women contend with motherhood and daughterhood, generational trauma, and the tensions and wounds that divide them as they redefine happiness and healing for themselves.
 
“This is a tender, deeply perceptive tale of what kin owes kin, and how we might work to mend old wounds together.”—Elle
 
1974: Charlotte is eighteen and pregnant with her daughter, Corinna, when she flees her privileged upbringing, seeking refuge from her cold, troubled mother, Evelyn. She lands in a tiny town outside Nashville and begins to forge a fraught path of her own.
 
When a teenage and headstrong Corinna gives birth to her own daughter, Camille, Charlotte’s life is changed. She is transfixed by the beautiful, intelligent little girl and promises to give her grandchild the best childhood she can. Camille’s talents eclipse the opportunities available to her in rural Tennessee, though, and her mother and grandmother decide to do something drastic: they reach out to the long-estranged Evelyn for help. After Evelyn enthusiastically accepts, the three women vow to work together to raise their collective daughter with the tenderness and empathy they missed in their own relationships.
 
Will the women be able to support Camille as she pursues opportunities that frighten them and threaten their own ideas about progress and success? Or will their damaged relationships and hurt feelings overwhelm them all?