From Nigeria to the Adirondacks

In this interview, author Afabwaje Kurian talks to Paul Harding about her novel Before the Mango Ripens. Paul Harding is the author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning Tinkers and This Other Eden.

Paul Harding: From the very opening, I love the complexity of the characters and of the setting in which they are placed, that of (at least) two different worlds or cultures. How did the idea for this novel come to you?

I visited Nigeria in 2015 and conducted interviews with my relatives. My paternal uncle told me a story about a relative of mine in the 1920s, who—out of compassion—carried a missionary on his back when they walked long distances together and the missionary got tired. My uncle was nonplussed as he recounted this story, stating it in a matter-of-fact voice. It was what it was. But for me, it sparked many things—curiosity at what was behind the story, disbelief, a sense of injustice at the thought that the missionary may have used my relative in this way. I mean, was this a mutual exchange? Was my relative's charity reciprocated? Did the missionary carry my relative on his back? So I wrote into this image, turning it on its head in the process. ... continued

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

Bestselling author Liz Moore's latest novel, The God of the Woods, begins with a disappearance. On a summer morning in 1975 at Camp Emerson in the Adirondacks, camp counselor Louise realizes that one of her charges, 13-year-old Barbara, is not in her bunk. It soon becomes apparent that no one knows what's become of her. Complicating matters is that Barbara is the daughter of the wealthy Van Laar family (who own the camp and a mansion abutting it), and Barbara's brother, Bear, went missing 14 years earlier from the same area and was never found. Oh, and a serial killer who was active at the time of Bear's disappearance has recently escaped from prison and is believed to be in the area.

Moore's narrative structure is intricate; non-sequential chapters bounce among several points between 1950, when the children's mother Alice first meets their father Peter, and 1975, as the investigation into Barbara's whereabouts progresses. Chapters are also written from the viewpoint of different characters, so diverse voices and perspectives are explored. And finally, the plot concerns not only two separate mysteries but abounds with subplots, examining themes such as family dysfunction, class structure, and the roles of women during these decades. ... continued

Review by Kim Kovacs

Members! This month's First Impressions and Book Club books are now available to request. Offer closes end of Saturday, January 11.

Books are provided free of charge to BookBrowse members resident in the US with the understanding that they'll do their best to either write a short review or take part in an online discussion forum (depending on whether the book is assigned for First Impressions or the Book Club). Members who choose to take part generally receive a book about every three months.

Not yet a member? Free books are one of the many benefits of a BookBrowse membership, for just $3.75/month! Join by this Saturday to be able to request books from this month's offer. Don't wait!

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

In Rivers Solomon's novel Model Home, main character Ezri Maxwell reflects on Lorraine Hansberry's 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun — about a Black family living in Chicago after World War II, the Youngers, who make plans to move to an all-white neighborhood. Ezri's Aunt Jacqueline compares the situation of the Youngers to Ezri's immediate family, Black people who lived in a white gated community in the Dallas suburbs during much of Ezri's youth.

The play's characters include brother and sister Walter and Beneatha, their mother, and Walter's wife Ruth. Walter and Beneatha's father has died, leaving the family life insurance money, some of which their mother has chosen to use for a down payment on a house in a white neighborhood, though Walter wants to use it to open a liquor store. The questions of what will happen with the remainder of the money and whether the family will go ahead with the move provide the story's tension.

James Baldwin later wrote of the work, "Never before, in the entire history of the American theater, had so much of the truth of black people's lives been seen on the stage." ... continued

Article by Elisabeth Cook

For every title we review, we also write a "beyond the book" article that focuses on a related cultural, historical, or contextual topic — a great way to find new books and learn about new subjects!

In addition to Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun above, recently featured topics in our Books & Authors category include Grove Press (publisher of Betsy Lerner's Shred Sisters, Helen Macdonald's H Is for Hawk, Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer, and more), poet Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri's The Epistle of Forgiveness, and the picaresque genre.

Members have full access to all articles, while non-members have limited access.