I have a lot of little entry points into this review, so I will just say them all and think of where to go next. Tayari Jones is really really really good at narrating adolescence. The fact that no one talks about this chapter in America is an effing crime. Oddly, the books narrated by children dealing with the kidnappings and murders of their peers is the least harrowing and sad book about this set of events I’ve read/read about. Something about dealing children dealing […]
Separate But Equal Is Not Equal
Tayari Jones’ Silver Sparrow is an engrossing novel about sisters and secrecy. Set in 1980s Atlanta, its focus is on a dysfunctional and disintegrated family. Our first narrator, Dana Yarboro, writes from an adult perspective about her childhood and teenaged years as the secret daughter of one James Witherspoon. Our second narrator, Chaurisse Witherspoon, is James’ daughter by his legally recognized wife Laverne. Jones uses her prodigious writing talents to create sympathetic and complex but very human characters as well as an intricate and compelling […]