KIN

In Tayari Jones’s deeply moving, long awaited novel Kin, Niecy and Annie are two young, orphaned Black girls in 1950s Louisiana: best friends, neighbors, and the family they desperately need. As they grow up, the absence of their mothers looms large, and their opposite paths reflect the different ways they cope with that devastating loss. Annie embarks on an odyssey to find the mother who left her behind, while Niecy enrolls in an HBCU where she joins elite social circles, leaving her mother’s death and her affection-less childhood behind. As one girl is stuck in the past and one barrels toward a future she’s not sure she wants, they remain each others’ truest friend, halves of the same heart, until their wildly divergent lives force them to reevaluate their choices, confronting the bonds they once thought unbreakable.

Kin offers an exploration of different ways to process loss, warning us of the pain and regret that can come with blindly following one path. This thought provoking book offers no easy answers or alternatives for Annie and Niecy. At times I wanted their friendship to be an even stronger anchor for the story, as their connection relies largely on childhood and correspondence. But perhaps each girl depended more on the idea of the other more than the reality, always seeking the closeness of their past to navigate a complicated present. This is a book that stayed with me and that I appreciated even more after reading, especially the author’s gorgeous turns of phrase and beautifully drawn side characters. I expect book clubs will have plenty to discuss about the girls’ choices, and what they owed each other and themselves.

Much of this book takes place in Atlanta so I went ahead and made a cobbler with some Georgia peaches. And by Georgia peaches I mean sliced peaches from the frozen section of a New York supermarket! Fresh peaches are not here yet but that didn’t stop me - this was delicious and thank goodness warmer weather is on the horizon so I can get some actual peaches soon!