I read this slowly over a week in between reading another book. It didn’t wholly capture my attention and occasionally felt a bit flat, but it was a cosy compilation of short interconnected stories that formed Kara’s coming-of-age. It felt homely, confusing, and frustrating as it explored the isolation of diaspora children and expectations thrust onto young Black girls by mothers and grandmothers who want to protect them. Reid-Benta tells emotional stories without spelling them out.