When I read the summary of this novel I was immediately intrigued. Set in 1980s rural Mississippi, it tells the story of Ella, a young Black girl who befriends a middle-aged white woman named Katherine St. James. Katherine is in town researching her thesis about race relations. She moves into a house on the Black side of town and starts asking questions of the town's residents.

This novel touches on so many important themes--colorism (Ella is very dark-skinned since she's a product of her mom's relationship with an African man who passed through their town), sexual abuse (Ella's stepfather), racism (Katherine is the daughter of a KKK member), violence, white supremacy, mental health issues, etc. The author handles all of them with sensitivity, which I admired, but the lack of even minimal closure for some left me feeling wanting in the end.

Ella's story is more compelling than Katherine's, especially as a coming-of-age tale. She's precocious and her personality jumps off the page. You cheer, cry, and ache for her and her struggles. Katherine is an enigma that slowly gets revealed as the novel progresses. Her first-person portions were interesting--and admittedly something we don't normally get to read--but they still ended with many "what happens now?"

I enjoyed this read and appreciated the author's attempt to cover so many facets of racism, white supremacy, and the vestiges they leave, but I still felt like not enough was resolved to make it a 5-star read. I look forward to more from this debut author! Her voice is strong and her story-telling intriguing.

Thanks to @netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.