Mathis follows a matriarch, Hattie, and her kin in a series of short story-esque chapters that show the hardships and complexities of trying to raise a family during the first half of the 20th century. The locations vary between primarily Philadelphia and Georgia, with sprinkles of New Jersey and Baltimore as the characters try to find their place. This text is a bildungsroman for not only Hattie, but her children and grandchildren and continues to show the evolution of the family unit over decades.
The book is haunting in its depictions of war, Jim Crow, loss, grief, anger, and love. Each chapter is dedicated to a member of Hattie's family, some are dedicated to two ("Philadelphia and Jubilee" and "Alice and Billups") as the title character undergoes a transformational time in their lives. Mathis' ability to have clear, defined characters that are rounded enough to sustain each chapter is impressive enough, but I found I wanted more of all of them. Mathis also experiments with changing formatting and POV throughout, keeping the reader engaged as they zoom in and out from the family. The chapter, and my personal favorite, "Franklin" gives present tense, past tense, third person narration, first-person narration, and most astoundingly, they all fit together in a way that enhances the emotion and tension of the piece.
Not enough good things can be said about this text. I would recommend it to anyone at any time.
