This assured debut from Charmaine Wilkerson shares the story of a family torn apart by strife but reunited after their matriarch's death.

Covey Lyncook spends her formative years swimming and baking her beloved black cake in the Caribbean during the 1960s. After her father gets into debt to a mobster, he promises his daughter to the man in marriage. On the day of the marriage, the mobster drops dead from poisoning and Covey disappears under the suspicion of murder.

In the present day, Covey's children, Benny and Bryon, reunite to hear a recording she made before her death. In it she reveals her life as Covey (they know her as Eleanor) and her escape from the Caribbean. She tells them more about a life they've never heard of including her years as a serious swimmer, her challenges in England, and the existence of a sister. Both kids--academic Byron and conflicted Benny--are shocked, but eager to learn more about the mother they never really knew.

As a fan of engrossing family sagas, I really liked this one. The lush descriptions of the Caribbean and food were delectable and the characterizations strong. At times the jumps between time and people (and, occasionally things) slowed the pace a bit, but otherwise this is an emotional, engrossing debut. Give me allll the family dramas, especially ones that are tinged with a bit of mystery and real-life issues like racism, identity, tragedy, and love. I can't wait to see what Charmaine writes next!

Thanks @NetGalley and @penguinrandomhouse for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cantu is a third-generation Mexican-American who, against his mother's wishes, went to work for the U.S. Border Patrol from 2008 - 2012. In this no-holds-barred memoir, he shares horrific stories from his work experience, while also discussing the conflict he experienced seeing the atrocities of death, inhumanity, and evil from the side of law enforcement. Within this narrative, he also discusses the history of how the border between Mexico and the United States came to be and how this location is a hotbed of political discussion today.

Cantu does a wonderful job highlighting the inhumanity of this endeavor. True, a host of issues complicate the reality of immigration and illegal border crossings, yet what's lost in the divisive political rhetoric is the humanity of the many (at one point he mentions mass graves of migrants killed by drug cartels) people who have died. Interestingly, there's no mention of the death of truly evil people. It's not the drug lords or gang members dying in this region. It's the desperate families caught up in years of corruption and calamity and violence who are trying to provide a better life for themselves and their families. His story about Jose, an undocumented man who spent 30 years in the United States before being deported back to Mexico after trying to cross back into the US to reunite with his wife and three sons (he went home to see his mother before she died).

Cantu's narrative is a bit uneven in parts, but the first-person experience he had is affecting. I realize it's "political" to say that I think humanity should outweigh hate and selfishness in these situations, and I'm sure I'm looking at a truly complicated situation with too-sensitive, too-hopeful eyes. Yet, Cantu was immeshed in the realities of this region and he has written not about how dangerous or burdensome undocumented immigrants are, but how much "fixes" for the border problem put humanity last, if at all. Why can't humanity drive our country's solutions?

I'll end with this. I kept thinking of the elaborate funerals we have for people we love. How we celebrate the life a person we love has lived. Imagine someone dying from violence and literally being thrown away in a mass grave with countless others. Don't those people matter? Didn't they each have rich lives filled with people who loved them? In my too-sensitive heart, I say they did and they deserve our respect. There must be a humane way we can try and handle this reality. But, for some powerful and enlightening perspective, do read Cantu's book.

I’m a big fan of Allende’s writing and was immediately drawn to the gorgeous cover of her new novel. Told in letter format from South American centenarian Violeta del Valle to “her best friend" Camilo, this novel recounts Violeta’s 100 years of life between two pandemics, the Spanish flu and coronavirus. Violeta shares about her childhood of wealth that was shattered due to the Great Depression and the suicide of her father. As the years go by, we hear about her love affairs, her business adventures, her friends and family, including her daughter’s addiction to drugs--all told through the lens of various political and historical events of the 20th-century. Violeta’s tales of her very full life are engrossing and keep the novel moving.

Yet, due to the letter format, we rarely “see” Violeta’s emotions, but are instead “told” about what happens and how she feels about it, lessening their impact on the reader and our emotional investment in the main character. Big events come and go at a rapid pace, with most being told (at times like a historical text) instead of felt. Still, I loved the character of Violeta. A complex, passionate, strong-willed woman who had quite the life…I just wish I knew a bit more about the soul and spirit underneath the experiences.

If you like strong and fascinating female protagonists and stories that weave in history throughout the fictional narrative, this is the novel for you!

Complex, juicy, melodramatic family sagas are one of my favorite book genres and this one is a great new addition to my collection!

With a narrative mirroring Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, this novel follows The Chao family, owners of a Chinese restaurant in Haven, WI. Immigrants Leo and Winnie came to America to start their business and a family. Leo Chao, the patriarch, is brash, cruel, and cutthroat. He’s so emotionally abusive, Winnie ends up joining a Buddhist organization where her spiritual and emotional needs are met. James is the youngest and most vulnerable. Ming, the middle, resides in NYC and wants nothing to do with his family. Dagou, the oldest and head chef, is mired in romantic drama and works overtime to defy his father by trying to prove he’s better in all aspects of business and life.

When all the Chaos (I don’t think the “chaos” pun is an accident!) meet for the annual Christmas party, all of their issues come to the fore, particularly Leo’s horrific treatment of his family and Dagou’s deep resentment. The action ramps up with a murder, trial, twists and turns in the narrative, and revelations by characters as they respond to the drama.

I really enjoyed this book! Maybe it’s my Gen X/MTV gen status, but the beginning was a bit too slow, but finally picked up 2/3 of the way through. All in all, this smartly conceived novel explores various issues—emotional abuse in families, anti-Asian-immigrant stereotypes and racism, and the complex and often toxic bonds of family—with humor, emotion, and cultural insight. It’s a great book for those who love complicated, intense family sagas but also know that most times issues linger and aren’t easily resolved. Immerse yourself in this crackling family drama!

This absorbing debut novel from Juhea Kim spans 1917 - 1964 and is set in Korea during their quest for emancipation from Japan (regrettably a history I knew little about). With an expansive cast of characters and fraught events propelling their lives, this novel explores issues—colonialism, racism, power hierarchies, sexual violence, and love—that are still prevalent in the world today.

Kim expertly crafts complex, fully realized narratives for many characters, all who are "inyeons" (people who are tied together over the course of their lives)...Jade, a courtesan who yearns for the love of one man, while not being able to love another; JungHo, a young, brash boy who becomes a Communist and works with intellectual MyungBo to stage a rebellion; HanChol, a rickshaw driver, whose dreams of power and money overtake his ability to find lasting love; SungSoo, a rich Korean who shows deference to the Japanese; Captain Yamada, a Japanese soldier forever indebted to the Korean man who saved his life; and many more. While this may seem like a too-full cast, the ability of Kim to fully flesh out their emotions and personalities, while juggling often harrowing political and societal realities, is truly impressive. The action never lets up and is perfectly balanced with rich character development.

And, the writing is stellar. Gorgeous descriptions of everything from the curated beauty of courtesans to the squalor of scrapping for food...Kim's talent is astounding.

My minor complaint is that the narratives got too affecting at times and I had to stop the audio (which is top-notch). And I know that it's extremely privileged of me to say that, since many real-life people lived through this horrific time. Starvation, rape, the power dynamics of colonialism, and gore and heartlessness of the battlefield...it's all rendered her in bold, detailed life.

But, that's just the thing. This is life--evil, hate, tragedy, death, power--experienced by human beings just trying to survive while finding more joy and love than not. Kim sums it up perfectly, "Life is only bearable because time makes you forget everything. But life is worthwhile because love makes you remember everything."

I highly recommend this novel, especially for those who love fiction set during historical times and possibly a time you don't know much about.

Props to Allison Saltzman and Jasmijn Solange Evans for the stunning cover and Sue Jean Kim and Raymond Lee who did the amazing narration. I both listened to and read parts of this book.

Devastated from a divorce and the news that her estranged mother has died, librarian and bookstagrammer Valentina Baker seeks answers and refuge in London's Primrose Hill. This charming locale was where her mother, Eloise, went to after leaving Val and her father. Eloise has bequeathed Val an apartment and bookstore and Val hopes that by going there, she can find out why her mother left and explore their mutual love for books.

The hallmarks of this popular romance trope are here: an emotionally fraught heroine, a delightful location perfect for spiritual rejuvenation, endearing supporting characters, and the tease of a new love healing a broken heart. Yet Jio's take on the common narrative shines by underscoring it with the emotional pathos of a woman who believes she was abandoned and her yearning to make sense of that abandonment. In short, there's complex, emotional weight threading through the romantic charm.

Val's search for the reason her mother left is not merely told through her experiences (which include a scavenger hunt prepared by her late mother). It's also explored through a dual storyline that harks back to the past to share Eloise's story. Her personality and emotional core are revealed, as is why she left her family and ended up in London. The revelation of the "reason" she left does a good job of tempering the idea that a mother would leave without taking her beloved daughter.

Two minor complaints: At times, the story gets a little too syrupy sweet and Val's search for love ends on a surprising and, to me, unfulfilling note. Still, the emotional search for answers through a fun (and, at times, book-themed!) scavenger hunt, and Eloise's vivid story mix to create a lovely addition to the romance genre.

This YA debut from Schwartz is more than just the story of young love. Set in Georgian-era Edinburgh, this gothic/romance mash-up is enhanced by compelling narratives about the subjugation of woman at the time and the social ramifications of stark income inequality. Not for the squeamish, it explores how physicians-in-training operated on subjects as spectacle and how one young society woman upends the social strictures of the time to make her mark, uncover a fiendish mystery, and find love.

As the danger of the fictional Roman fever loosens its grip on the city of Edinburgh, Hazel Sinnett is inspired anew to become a doctor and find a cure. While Hazel survived the deadly illness, her other brother did not. Hazel's mom, devastated by his death, is terrified for the health of her youngest son (and heir), so she takes him to the celebrated waters of Bath, leaving Hazel alone in her family's mansion (her father's in the Royal Navy and is rarely home). Hazel has long been expected to marry her cousin Bernard Almont and seems to be willing to go along with it, until he chastises her for wanting to go to a live surgery performed by the esteemed Dr. Beecham. Annoyed at Bernard's derision, Hazel sneaks off to see the surgery...and meets "resurrection man," Jack Currer. Jack, who works at a theater, also digs up dead bodies and sells them to the Anatomists's Society, so doctors and surgeons can practice dissection. He starts providing Hazel with bodies so she can practice.

Underneath Hazel's quest to become a surgeon and her burgeoning romance with Jack, is a city-wide mystery: Poor people are dying, some with odd mutilations. Hazel is concerned, particularly when she starts treating those who can't afford a doctor. It's a win-win: she helps those who need it, while enhancing the skills society deems women aren't smart or skilled enough to master.

While the "reveals" are pretty obvious, it's still fun getting to the a-ha moments. I loved Hazel and really liked Jack. As a YA book, this one puts a gruesome yet engaging twist on the young love story.

This utterly engrossing book charts the story of the Clotilda, the last ship to transport enslaved Africians to the US in 1860…50 years after the Atlantic slave trade was outlawed. Author Ben Raines, a journalist from Alabama, shares the tale of the ship’s enslaved people, their creation of a community called Africatown & how he recovered the sunk Clotilda in a swamp (on land still owned by the family of the man who instigated the Clotilda’s illegal trip) in 2019.

Timothy Meaher, a wealthy Alabama slave trader, businessman & landowner made a bet he could illegally transport African slaves to the US without getting caught (he was caught but never prosecuted). Unfortunately, Meaher had a willing accomplice in the African Kingdom of Dahomey in present-day Benin, which brutally conquered neighboring nations & sold their residents into slavery. Meaher financed the voyage & William Foster, a fellow businessman, captained the ship. In 1860, the ship arrived in Alabama with over 100 Africans on board, including Cudjo one of the few who was verbally shared his story (more on that below!).

Raines' prose is riveting as he recounts the horrors the slaves endured and their creation of the self-sustaining community of Africatown in Mobile. From capture to community to discovery, this story is filled with fascinating facts and examples of how, while resilient in the face of horror, the Clotilda survivors continued to face race-fueled challenges after their freedom, some even to this day (the Meaher family is still a wealthy force in AL and, still, seemingly intent of lies and manipulation, with rumors that they have, but refuse to share, the wheel from the ship).

Finally, this book highlights the importance of story (ahem book-banners!). 1st-person narratives from enslaved people are rare & this lack of info threatens to erase their experiences & humanity. This book mentions 2 other important books. Raines discusses Zora Neale Hurston's book Barracoon, where she writes about many interviews she conducted with Clotilda survivor Cudjo when he was 86.

I highly recommend this enlightening & educational book!