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A review by inherbooks
Tumbling by Diane McKinney-Whetstone
4.0
Cozy. I felt like I was wrapped up in the folds of my favourite blanket, on Noon’s green couch, taking my place as her third daughter. That’s how involved I felt with all the happenings in this house on a street in 1950’s Philadelphia. With their front door wide open, Noon and Herbie took in more than just two daughters she raised to be closer to her than her own flesh and blood, each with her own set of challenges.
This story is about people fighting their demons, fighting hard to protect their loved ones from stray bullets of a war of head vs. heart. As a victim of a heinous crime at a young age, Noon lives with her husband Herbie in a marriage that’s never consummated, much to Herbie’s disappointment. Herbie redirects his energy to nightclubs and carries all the attachments (read: Ethel) that lifestyle brings while balancing a family he didn’t expect. The story doesn’t stop there as we get to know Liz, Fannie, Ethel, and Willie Mann – people you come to love, or hate, but understand nonetheless.
The characters are perfectly imperfect, Herbie loyally disloyal, Ethel committedly fleeting, Liz deeply shallow, Fannie quietly outspoken and Noon tenderly fierce and all as equally loving. There are no extravagant affairs, twists and shocks. I enjoyed the simplicity and pace of the story. Now, I say simple but the writing is far from modest. Reading this reminded me of an almost forgotten form of prose, refreshing, articulate, that gives you as much as you need and your imagination does the rest. The story lives in between the lines as much as it does on them. Without the vulgarity, we’re exposed to the most broken, intimate moments of people moving against the tide.
The love, far from cliché without the fanfare, is palpable throughout as they truly *tumble* through life. It’s expressed in the words, the presence, the anger, the fight they put up to keep their family and community together.
This story is about people fighting their demons, fighting hard to protect their loved ones from stray bullets of a war of head vs. heart. As a victim of a heinous crime at a young age, Noon lives with her husband Herbie in a marriage that’s never consummated, much to Herbie’s disappointment. Herbie redirects his energy to nightclubs and carries all the attachments (read: Ethel) that lifestyle brings while balancing a family he didn’t expect. The story doesn’t stop there as we get to know Liz, Fannie, Ethel, and Willie Mann – people you come to love, or hate, but understand nonetheless.
The characters are perfectly imperfect, Herbie loyally disloyal, Ethel committedly fleeting, Liz deeply shallow, Fannie quietly outspoken and Noon tenderly fierce and all as equally loving. There are no extravagant affairs, twists and shocks. I enjoyed the simplicity and pace of the story. Now, I say simple but the writing is far from modest. Reading this reminded me of an almost forgotten form of prose, refreshing, articulate, that gives you as much as you need and your imagination does the rest. The story lives in between the lines as much as it does on them. Without the vulgarity, we’re exposed to the most broken, intimate moments of people moving against the tide.
The love, far from cliché without the fanfare, is palpable throughout as they truly *tumble* through life. It’s expressed in the words, the presence, the anger, the fight they put up to keep their family and community together.