After writing this post, I was touched to receive a package from author Bernice L. McFadden. It included both her novels, Sugar and The Warmest December.
I waited until I had time to really sit down and give them the attention they deserved and finally got a chance to do so last week.
McFadden's way with words puts you right there in the scene with the characters feeling the tension; a fly on the wall. Her writing is rich and raw and powerful.
This is a line from Sugar, a story of a prostitute who comes to a small town and befriends a mother who has lost her child in a violent crime:
"They hated her immediately, not knowing of her childhood or the life that, after only one day of living it, would have had them calling out to the Lord for help."
The Warmest December is about a woman who is struggling to forgive her dying alcoholic father for the abuse he inflicted on her (and her mother) throughout her childhood.
McFadden's prose can best be described as haunting. Be warned, the subject matter is brutal, and involves graphic depictions of child abuse. McFadden's writing is exceptional, but not for the faint of heart.
In thanking the author I promised to pay it forward to someone not black. E-mail me if you want your name put in the hat.
Lifeorileyo @ gmail . com
9 comments:
Interesting observation, Michelle. I just got a book from a publisher to read/blog and although it's pegged to be a "big book" I kept me utterly at a distance, despite the fine, rich prose. I prefer a book that captures me and won't let me go to a perfectly crafted (think MFA) tome.
KIM
That line you quoted is brilliant. Great review, M O'N!
LOL! I enjoyed the book I read - but I never felt invested in the characters (one of whom was a child with unspecified special needs) and that is important to me.
How lovely that she sent you the books. I love the quote and, having been molested myself, think the topic matter you describe is profoundly important.
Her writing sounds riveting. I'm definitely adding these books to my list.
Ooh, ooh...Pick me!? I'll even pay it forward again and forward them on to someone else (or donate them to my very small-town library). These sound great!
They sound like great, challenging reads. Thanks for the review! Nice to think about delving into a book that is not ASD-related.
I would like a haunting book. Put me in!
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