Book Review: Kin
There are books you enjoy, and then there are books you finish and immediately want to discuss with someone. Kin is firmly in the second category. I had not read any other books by Tayari Jones, but I immediately ordered the equally acclaimed An American Marriage.
Kin follows the lives of Vernice and Annie, two motherless girls growing up in the American South during the 1950s and 1960s. Their lives gradually diverge; Vernice pursues further education, attending the revered Spelman College and then marries into wealth, while Annie runs away to a new life in Memphis chasing after the mother who abandoned her. Their separate journeys, somewhat unexpectedly, become a search for identity, belonging and what it means to love truly.
The book is funny in places, witty throughout, but also incredibly sad and heartbreaking. I could not stop turning the pages because it is such a compelling, fast-paced read. You have to know what happens next. Beneath it all is a story about friendship, those forged in childhood and the relationships we make along the way. It forces us to think about how we sustain these friendships in a world that continually changes us for better or worse.
Tayari Jones writes with an ease and clarity that makes reading this book a real pleasure. It is easy to see why it earned a place on Oprah’s Book Club list and became a New York Times bestseller. I wholeheartedly recommend you read it, choose it as a book club pick and most importantly, share it with others!
This article is not personal advice. The information contained in this article has been designed for educational and informational purposes only and not for your specific circumstance. It is provided solely to enable you to make your own choices. No material in this article is a substitute for professional advice.
All products have been selected by our editorial team; however, we may earn a commission on some products purchased through links in this article. Please note that any hyperlinks or references are provided for your convenience & information only. We are not responsible for the quality, accuracy, timelines, reliability or any other aspect of these products and services that you obtain from a site we have posted a link to. We also have no control over third party websites and accept no legal responsibility for any content, material or information contained or accessed in them. We make every effort to attribute the correct source of every image we use. If you think an attribution is incorrect or missing, please contact us at info@violasedit.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.