So many tears! Why is life so unfair? How can people be so cruel?!?

“Best thing a woman can learn to do," my grandmother said, "is to feed herself some sweetness so she ain't got to wait on nobody else to give her something she already has.” 4.5

I picked this book up by chance, the summary was promising and I had an idea of what I would get myself into. But, I didn’t expect to bounce between being unable to put the book down and feeling my heart being shattered repeatedly. This book was the first this year to truly make me feel deep emotions.

Read it. You must. It’s an incredibly beautiful story of tragedy, terror, injustice, sadness, violence, grief, and so much love. Two Black sisters and their families. So much sorrow. Read it, then read it again. I will.

Beautiful moments of writing but the plot was scattered and confusing for me. I would’ve loved more of the heart felt at the end. A lot of tragedy for one story.

I have been an admirer of Rachel Eliza Griffiths' poetry for years so it is no surprise that her novel would dig this deep.
Warning, like others have said, this novel will rip your heart out. A great coming of age story of a young Black woman growing up in New England in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement - when families are still suffering the ongoing affects of Jim Crow and the whitelash that is happening in response to each moment of progress.
There are very few flat characters in this novel, the motivations of even the most vile antagonists are finely wrought. And the varying shades of white supremacy from overt terrorism to false notions if ally-ship come out in crystal clear descriptions and wonderful complex characters. Hopefully there are many more Griffiths' books to come, in all genres.

This is one of those books that I would classify as a challenging read but a book you need to read. The challenging part is due to the heaviness of the subject matter including violence, abuse, racial discrimination and death.

Two black sisters, Erza and Cinthy are growing up during the Civil Rights movement in Salt Point, Maine. The girls' family in only one of two Black families in their small village. I fell in love with these two families because of how close there were to each other and the beautiful customs and get togethers shared during the story.

As the story unfolds, these families are treated differently because of the color of their skin. I felt fear in my heart knowing there was no on they could turn to for help, and that no one was on their side. Despite all of this, the families are brave and resilient and do their best to fight for what is right. These individuals are survivors despite the unfairness of the world and the racial discrimination that is so prevalent.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.