A kind of freedom : a novel (original 2017; udgave 2017)

A really great, inter-generational look at mobility and race in New Orleans from 1944 to now. I wanted so much for Evelyn and Jackie and TC. I wanted Renard to finish school and for Terry to break the cycle of addiction. I didn't necessarily get what I wanted, but that's not what this novel is about - or any novel for that matter. The story served the characters and vice versa. A great debut novel. ( )

This multi-generation saga starts in the 1940s, then switches between the 1980s and 2011, after Katrina. The fate of the family deteriorates over time. The 40s see the family prosperous and well-respected. In the 80s, economic downturn and drug abuse start to take a toll. By 2011, the drugs and jail are always present. This book highlights the struggles of black families in New Orleans, but suffers from undeveloped, one-dimensional characters. ( )

Following the lives of two black sisters in New Orleans, the novel tells of story of race, of hope, of despair as we watch the two sisters age, their children become mothers, and the grandchildren growing up. It was sad, and yet, at the end I had a feeling of hope. ( )

I would have preferred a focus on one generation rather than three. I found this a very frustrating book because just as I was becoming interested in one story the author would switch to a different set of characters. Usually perspective jumping doesn't bother me, but I just could not get into sync with this book. ( )

This is the multi-generational story of a black family in New Orleans from before World War II until after Hurricane Katrina. The World War II sections focus on Evelyn, the daughter of a well-respected doctor and a member of New Orleans's black aristocracy. She falls in love with Reynard, a man below her social status.

In the sections set during the 1980's, the focus is on Jackie, the daughter of Evelyn and Reynard. Her husband is struggling with crack addiction, and she is attempting to raise her son essentially on her own. Her sister Sybil is a successful attorney.

The parts set after Katrina focus on T.C., Jackie's son, now a young man. He has just been released from prison, determined to do well for the sake of his unborn child, although a friend convinces him to make one last killing from his talent at growing marijuana before going straight.

Each older generation appears in and plays an important part in the sections focusing on the younger generations. In Jackie's sections, we see Evelyn and Reynard from an entirely different pov than they appear in the World War II sections, and in T.C.'s sections we see Evelyn and Reynard, and Jackie as T.C. sees them. I really liked getting to know the various characters from multiple points of view. And while there is lots of plot going on, this is basically a novel of characterization. All sorts of relationships are explored, husband/wife, mother/daughter, sister/sister, and so on. In addition, although it mostly stays in the background and does not interfere with the novelistic aspects of this book, there is lots about the big issues of race relations, particularly the racial disparities over a long period of time, and the problem of the criminalization of drugs and the resulting over-imprisonment of black youth.

Highly recommended.

3 1/2 stars ( )