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Kin: Practically True Stories
by V Efua Prince
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Warning - Gushing rave review ahead.
When I checked out the books on the Carol Shields Prize longlist, Kin was the one that instantly captured my attention and that I was most excited to read. It more than lived up to my expectations. I read more than 40 books from different prize longlists in March, and this book stands head and shoulders above the rest for me. I love it for its uniqueness, unlike anything I've read before. I love its kaleidoscopic, mosaic, patchwork nature where the whole is far more than the sum of its parts. I love its genre defying nature - there's plays, there's poetry, there's an essay, and there's prose; fiction and non-fiction are frequently intertwined. I love the way the author took autobiographical and family stories and drew out their wider significance. I love that this book is an offshoot and companion to the author's academic research, and that I got to learn some interesting history as a result. The Atlanta washerwomen's strike was fascinating; the details of the tactics used to try and break it instructive. I love Kin for the conversation it's having with Jean Toomer's 1923 classic, Cane. Kin can definitely be read on its own but going back and rereading Cane after finishing Kin the first time (yes, I reread it not long after finishing it, that's how much I loved it) then rereading certain passages side by side really heightened my enjoyment and appreciation of what Prince was doing here. I loved the writing and the vibrancy of the voices. The audio was stunning - the narrator's performance was a standout, cementing Prince's words in my memory. I love the structure of branches and roots, and the way each piece fits together within that structure. Overall, I just love how brilliantly Prince achieved her vision for this book - " a celebration of Black womanhood, of resistance and perseverance - while simultaneously an indictment of American history".
When I checked out the books on the Carol Shields Prize longlist, Kin was the one that instantly captured my attention and that I was most excited to read. It more than lived up to my expectations. I read more than 40 books from different prize longlists in March, and this book stands head and shoulders above the rest for me. I love it for its uniqueness, unlike anything I've read before. I love its kaleidoscopic, mosaic, patchwork nature where the whole is far more than the sum of its parts. I love its genre defying nature - there's plays, there's poetry, there's an essay, and there's prose; fiction and non-fiction are frequently intertwined. I love the way the author took autobiographical and family stories and drew out their wider significance. I love that this book is an offshoot and companion to the author's academic research, and that I got to learn some interesting history as a result. The Atlanta washerwomen's strike was fascinating; the details of the tactics used to try and break it instructive. I love Kin for the conversation it's having with Jean Toomer's 1923 classic, Cane. Kin can definitely be read on its own but going back and rereading Cane after finishing Kin the first time (yes, I reread it not long after finishing it, that's how much I loved it) then rereading certain passages side by side really heightened my enjoyment and appreciation of what Prince was doing here. I loved the writing and the vibrancy of the voices. The audio was stunning - the narrator's performance was a standout, cementing Prince's words in my memory. I love the structure of branches and roots, and the way each piece fits together within that structure. Overall, I just love how brilliantly Prince achieved her vision for this book - " a celebration of Black womanhood, of resistance and perseverance - while simultaneously an indictment of American history".
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence