But for all the secrets, resentments, and bitterness here, Watkins has generosity of spirit enough to entertain the possibility of forgiveness miraculous and moving, light glimmers at the edges of this wise novel.” “ Perish offers a moving look into Black communities, bringing complexity and nuance to this story of intergenerational trauma and the toll it takes on the human spirit. Watkins and Tiny Reparations Books have made a bold statement with Perish and will both be worth watching for what comes next.” “Though painful, this beautifully crushing experiment in empathy and brokenness is worth experiencing. And it’s a brave triumph of a novel that readers won’t forget long after finishing it.” It’s a novel about coming home, despite that home being broken. “Watkins’s prose is effortless and forthright.This is an impressive feat of storytelling. *Featured in Refinery 29’s “As A Young Black Mom, These Are The Books I Want To Pass Along To My Daughter ” * *Named one of BookBub’s “16 Books to Read Over Labor Day Weekend” and Ebony‘s “Books by Black Authors That Should Be on Your Fall Reading List”* *A Black Caucus of the American Library Association Honor Book for Fiction* Set in vividly drawn Texas and tackling themes like trauma, legacy, faith, home, class, race, and more, this beautiful yet heart-wrenching novel will appeal to anyone who is interested in the intricacies of family and the ways bonds can be made, maintained, or irrevocably broken. This family’s “reunion” unearths long-kept secrets and forces each member to ask themselves important questions about who is deserving of forgiveness and who bears the cross of blame. Told in alternating chapters, Perish follows four members of the Turner family: Julie B., a woman who regrets her wasted youth and the time spent under Helen Jean’s thumb Alex, a police officer grappling with a dark and twisted past Jan, a mother of two who yearns to go to school and leave Jerusalem, Texas, and all of its trauma behind for good and Lydia, a woman whose marriage is falling apart because her body can’t seem to stay pregnant, as they’re called home to say goodbye to their mother and grandmother. Spanning decades, Perish tracks the choices Helen Jean-the matriarch of the Turner family-makes and the way those choices have rippled across generations, from her children to her grandchildren and beyond. Those are the words Helen Jean hears that fateteful night in her cousin’s outhouse that change the trajectory of her life. ”įrom a stunning new voice comes a powerful debut novel, Perish, about a Black Texan family, exploring the effects of inherited trauma and intergenerational violence as the family comes together to say goodbye to their matriarch on her deathbed.īear it or perish yourself. And it’s a brave triumph of a novel that readers won’t forget long after finishing it. It’s a difficult read and a tender story of silences and secrets. This is an impressive feat of storytelling. “Watkins’s prose is effortless and forthright. “Miraculous and moving, light glimmers at the edges of this wise novel.” -Esquire “Like Walker’s The Color Purple and Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, Perish lures readers past the pain with a spellbinding, buoyant use of language.”- Texas Monthly “This novel will serve as a hand extended through the darkness to a great many of its readers.” -Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Set in vividly drawn Texas, this beautiful yet heart-wrenching novel explores the intricacies of family and the ways bonds can be made, maintained, or irrevocably broken. We meet four members of the Black Texan family: Julie B., a woman who regrets her wasted youth and the time spent under Helen Jean’s thumb Alex, a police officer grappling with a dark and twisted past Jan, a mother of two who yearns to go to school and leave Jerusalem, Texas, behind for good and Lydia, a woman whose marriage is falling apart because her body can’t seem to stay pregnant.Ĭalled home to say goodbye to their mother and grandmother, each family member is forced to confront long-kept secrets and ask themselves important questions about who is deserving of forgiveness and who bears the cross of blame. Spanning decades, Perish tracks the choices Helen Jean-the matriarch of the Turner family-makes and the way those choices have rippled across generations. Those are the words Helen Jean hears that fateful night in her cousin’s outhouse that change the trajectory of her life. Longlisted for the 2023 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Awardīear it or perish yourself. * The Millionsįinalist for the Reading the West Book Award Named a Most Anticipated Book of the Year by Good Morning America * Essence* Esquire * The Root * Bustle * Ebony * PopSugar * Ms. “A brave triumph of a novel that readers won’t forget long after finishing it.”- The New York Times Book Review
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