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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
I ended up DNFing this one... I may go back to it if I get ahold of a physical copy but listening to the audio book version... I just couldn't do it. I felt lost the majority of the time when it changed POV.
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Did not meet my (admittedly very high) expectations. I liked the ideas and themes so much more than the execution.
I really struggled to connect with the characters. They were unlikeable and cliched, and their actions so predictable that it made for a boring read.
I really struggled to connect with the characters. They were unlikeable and cliched, and their actions so predictable that it made for a boring read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Classism
Minor: Confinement, Slavery
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One family. Four siblings. An ancestral home being snatched away.
In Diggs, South Carolina, sits a 200 acre property that was once known as the Solomon Plantation but is now more commonly referred to as the Kingdom. Generations of the Solomon family have lived here, struggling to make a living and provide for their families. Above all things, every family member knows the cardinal rule….they are never, ever to sell the land. When King Solomon, the current patriarch, drops dead of a heart attack without leaving a will, the Kingdom passes to his family as “heir property”, a legal construct which makes the land vulnerable to outside acquisition. King’s four children are all at an inflection point in their lives: elder son Junior is the local high school principal, married to Genesis and father of two young daughters…and is a deep-in-the-closet homosexual involved with a man named SImon; second son Mance is a carpenter like his father, has been in and out of jail given an uncontrollable violent streak, and is in a relationship with librarian Lisha with whom he has an infant son Henry who has just been diagnosed with significant deafness; daughter CeCe is a lawyer with a large firm in NYC who could not escape the impoverished small town where she was raised quickly enough, leaving behind the man she loved (Ellis)….and whose embezzlement at her law firm has been uncovered by at least one member of the firm, who is keeping it quiet in exchange for her sexual favors; and younger daughter Tokey, who lived at home with her father and is an emotional eater who has become obese. King was not an easy man to know, and had raised his children alone after the disappearance of their mother for reasons unknown years ago. The siblings are still processing his death and what it will mean to their individual struggles when they receive an eviction notice…..developers claim that they own the acreage on which their family home sits. They need to come together to fight for their inheritance, even as they disagree on what they want to do with it, and each needs to work through their problems to steer a course for the future.
This is a family saga filled with well-developed if flawed characters who are in the midst of a struggle to discover who they are, where they want their lives to lead, and how they can go about achieving those goals. They are hiding secrets from one another and the world at large, things that they feel will not be understood or accepted….but only in revealing their true selves will they be able to move forward. The narrations alternates between the four siblings, and each of their stories…..where they are, what they’ve done and why, and what crisis they confront….is carefully shared with the reader. I found the concept of heir properties to be fascinating; I had never heard of them (and suspect that I am not alone in that regard) and yet it is the leading cause of involuntary land loss for Black families, a troubling reality. I was drawn into this family’s drama from the beginning, and rooted for them to find peace and retain their inheritance throughout their struggles. Readers of authors like Terry McMillan, Celeste Ng and Caroline Leavitt (to name just a few) should treat themselves to discovering the stories at the heart of Long After We Are Gone….there is sadness and loss but also strength and redemption contained within these pages. Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for allowing me early access to this thought provoking novel.
In Diggs, South Carolina, sits a 200 acre property that was once known as the Solomon Plantation but is now more commonly referred to as the Kingdom. Generations of the Solomon family have lived here, struggling to make a living and provide for their families. Above all things, every family member knows the cardinal rule….they are never, ever to sell the land. When King Solomon, the current patriarch, drops dead of a heart attack without leaving a will, the Kingdom passes to his family as “heir property”, a legal construct which makes the land vulnerable to outside acquisition. King’s four children are all at an inflection point in their lives: elder son Junior is the local high school principal, married to Genesis and father of two young daughters…and is a deep-in-the-closet homosexual involved with a man named SImon; second son Mance is a carpenter like his father, has been in and out of jail given an uncontrollable violent streak, and is in a relationship with librarian Lisha with whom he has an infant son Henry who has just been diagnosed with significant deafness; daughter CeCe is a lawyer with a large firm in NYC who could not escape the impoverished small town where she was raised quickly enough, leaving behind the man she loved (Ellis)….and whose embezzlement at her law firm has been uncovered by at least one member of the firm, who is keeping it quiet in exchange for her sexual favors; and younger daughter Tokey, who lived at home with her father and is an emotional eater who has become obese. King was not an easy man to know, and had raised his children alone after the disappearance of their mother for reasons unknown years ago. The siblings are still processing his death and what it will mean to their individual struggles when they receive an eviction notice…..developers claim that they own the acreage on which their family home sits. They need to come together to fight for their inheritance, even as they disagree on what they want to do with it, and each needs to work through their problems to steer a course for the future.
This is a family saga filled with well-developed if flawed characters who are in the midst of a struggle to discover who they are, where they want their lives to lead, and how they can go about achieving those goals. They are hiding secrets from one another and the world at large, things that they feel will not be understood or accepted….but only in revealing their true selves will they be able to move forward. The narrations alternates between the four siblings, and each of their stories…..where they are, what they’ve done and why, and what crisis they confront….is carefully shared with the reader. I found the concept of heir properties to be fascinating; I had never heard of them (and suspect that I am not alone in that regard) and yet it is the leading cause of involuntary land loss for Black families, a troubling reality. I was drawn into this family’s drama from the beginning, and rooted for them to find peace and retain their inheritance throughout their struggles. Readers of authors like Terry McMillan, Celeste Ng and Caroline Leavitt (to name just a few) should treat themselves to discovering the stories at the heart of Long After We Are Gone….there is sadness and loss but also strength and redemption contained within these pages. Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for allowing me early access to this thought provoking novel.
emotional
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Gosh this is gorgeously written. The characters just stick with you. They feel so real. It took longer for me to get through this book. The characters are going through some things and I needed to allow the chapter I just finished to settle for a day or two before picking up where the Solomons left off.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced