Shannon Sanders

Who doesn't appreciate a book that opens with a family tree? This one has a scratchout in it to jumpstart the reader's interest. This series of connected stories, mostly about the Collins family, the four sisters and their mother and their children, is totally delightful, simple, and profound, and worthy of a second read. Most of the events - celebrations, deaths, bad choices of partners, sibling quarrels - could be categorized as mundane, but are made magical by the perfection of the language and its underlying sense of humor and pathos. My favorite is "Rioja", which tells a Thanksgiving story that introduces a new family to a Collins woman who is being courted by a man who decides to sabotage her acceptance. The collection is reminiscent of Deesha Philyaw's award-winning Secret Lives of Church Ladies, all heart and surprise and drama. In my Top Ten of 2023.

Quote: "Finally, time moved like it had somewhere to go."… (mere)

This is a collection of interconnected short stories set in and around Washington DC and centering on the members of a large, extended family. As with any large family, some are doing well and some are struggling and who that is may change over time. There are family stories, family expectations and the roles assigned in childhood that may chafe in adulthood. There are family stories where the reality is somewhat different and what is expected changes depending on the generation.

They would only be in the house on Ashburn Street for six or nine months, a year at the absolute most, and so although Merritt knew she should make a point of meeting the neighbors, she put it off for two weeks after the move-in. She had begun to specialize in putting things off; these days she was leaden as an anchor, and Ashburn Street was the ocean floor.

These stories stand on their own and the connections between the characters in each story reveal themselves as the book unspools. A character in one story is in the background of another, an event in one story is a familiar tale that bears just a glancing resemblance to the facts in another. There are two stories that recount the same event from different vantage points that was particularly effective. Throughout these stories, Sanders writes about people just trying to get through the challenges of their lives. It's a solid collection and I'm already looking forward to seeing what she writes next.… (mere)