Reviews

Acts of Forgiveness is a character driven story about one family and their experience when the Forgiveness Act passes, issuing reparations to citizens who can prove a direct relation to someone who was enslaved. This story combines aspects of historical and literary fiction to tell an emotionally resonant story in an unspecified future, making it very relatable and poignant as the impacts of chattel slavery cannot and will not dissipate without large scale reckoning.

The novel primarily focuses on Willie Revel, a woman in her thirties who gave up a budding journalism career ten years ago to help her father with the family construction business. Now she is a single mother living with her parents and the business is again at a serious juncture- it seems their only option to remain financially solvent is to take a large project with a white man who vocally opposes reparations. Willie spends much of the story grappling with her morals and the financial necessities, as she also undertakes the significant task of tracing her families roots when it seems her parents and grandfather have nothing helpful to tell her.

There is an aspect of family secrets and unraveling that hidden thread, but the focus of this story is the Revel family. From Willie's parents to her fifth grade daughter, Maura Cheeks creates depth in these characters that really highlights what reparations could mean for different generations. This book is full of powerful and beautiful writing that often made me pause and even gave me goosebumps. The Revels will be in my heart for a long time to come, and I hope you'll pick up this beautiful and important novel.

mapo's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional medium-paced

4.0

Such an interesting look at a single macro level policy in this micro way. I think this is an entirely too apt analysis of what would happen if our exact world. The intricate family dynamics and American cultural read was riveting to read — even when a character makes a decision I can’t relate to in the slightest, I understand the push and pull that behind the rationale well thanks to the excellent writing.