Two motherless girls become cradle friends in Jim Crow’s Louisiana. Chapters switch between the perspectives of Vernice and Annie Kay as they grow up in their small town, eventually taking different life paths. Their relationship is a red thread, tangled & twisted, but never broken. The two keep correspondence through letters. Started by Annie Kay who ran away from her grandmother’s home in search of her mama, Hattie Lee. Vernice doesn’t have that option. Her mother Arletha was murdered by her father. Leaving her in the care of her maternal aunt, who sends her to Spelman College for a better life. While there she climbs up the social latter, after choosing between two affluent lovers.
For me, this book supersedes “An American Marriage.” By far. It has levity, plot twists, dynamic, multifaceted characters. Themes range from: family, religion, sexuality, racism, classism and gender. Oscillating between heartwarming and heartwrenching, I couldn’t put it down. The characters are memorable and complex, a masterpiece.
Spoiler Alert:
Joette is a bitch. Vernice made the right choice choosing Franklin. For her to force someone out the closet, in their time of distress no less, is incredibly cruel. Joette claims to be so different, sexuality aside, she’s everything she hates. A spoiled brat. Joette had no business divulging their affair to Annie Kay either. Speaking of which I will never forgive the author, Annie Kay deserved so much better. I’m still not over it. I wish she focused more on what she had: Babydoll, Vernice, Bobo and her grandmother, instead of chasing Hattie. Vernice ignoring her mother in law, staying true to her lifelong friend, she’s a real one. That’s what being kin is. Blood ties aren’t everything, sometimes they’re nothing at all. Via: Reparations Club
