This book takes a hard look at the racism still running rampant in the southern United States. While the racism of today is more subtle than that of the past, it is still insidious and continues to tear families apart. This book deals with family trauma and the long reach the past can have on the present. Avery's grandfather was murdered and nothing was ever done about it, so her Mama Letty became a shell of a woman. This lead to her drinking, affecting her ability to work and her relationship with her daughter. The two of them are bonded in their pain, trying to repair something almost irrevocably broken. But, Avery wants to help, to be the glue that mends. Avery is also dealing with warring emotions. She has fallen for her neighbour and friend Simone, but being both Black and queer can be extra dangerous. Simone fears what her mother would do if she every found out her daughter was gay, but Avery begins to suspect something about her mother and Simone's. It's as if the past is being rectified by the lives of these young women, their being allowed to be themselves, to question the world, to shine a light on the atrocities of the past. I especially loved the restaurant that was a safe haven for the Black and queer community of Bardell and neighbouring towns. It offered breathing room and freedom when Avery and Simone needed it the most. When they needed hope that could not be found in their families, in their community, in their country. It pushed them to seek a different reality to the one that would be forced on them. This book was so hard to read at times, so emotional and raw. The writing is amazing, the story heartbreaking but also healing. This family is growing, is learning, is leaning on each other for love and support. Mama Letty may not have wanted her family to come back, but their returning to help her actually may have saved her in the end. And yes, there are a couple of mysteries in this novel and the outcome of the one is shocking, while the outcome of the other is not as shocking as it should be. But, the way that these mysteries are woven into this story, about how this family grapples with these truths and their decisions on what to do and how to let go of the past and embrace a happier future is important.
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