This book is a really well-woven story of a woman, her mother, and their lives when she was a child and when they reconnect. The juxtaposition of Gifty's search for answers in her neuroscience program and her upbringing in an Assembly of God church, opiate addiction, and her relationships all undergirded the complicated mother-daughter dynamic.

The story felt so timely, too, especially with the inclusion of the author's real hometown in Alabama, where Gifty's family deals with racist remarks from her schoolmates, their parents, and members of their church. In the south, they're a Black family, with all that implies - their immigrant status is less important to their neighbors than the prejudices they have against African Americans.

I had been wanting to read this book for a while, especially because of the conversation around religion I'd been told was in the book. In nearly every way, I grew up completely differently than the main character, but I grew up in the same pentecostal sect. I was thrown into my own history, especially with the description of the way pastors use prayer and music to manipulate the emotions of the congregation, and especially the impact this has on children. Gifty grows up proud of her strait-laced ways until she realizes no one else is taking it as seriously as she does, and as an adult, her stories about church are weird to her friends. I related so strongly to this part of her character, and though I didn't turn out quite like her (I won't be found in a church unless it's for a wedding), I really enjoyed reading about the way she dealt with dis/belief as she aged. It's a big part of my upbringing that I haven't seen much in fiction.