tiffanielle 's review for:

Long After We Are Gone by Terah Shelton Harris

3.75

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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 I first read One Summer in Savannah, the author's debut work published in 2023, about 5 weeks prior to reading this, her sophomore novel, Long After We Are Gone. That makes it a little difficult to write this review. One Summer In Savannah was so incredibly and beautifully written and will probably be one of my favorite books I read in 2024! So, Long After We Are Gone had a lot to live up to with reading it so shortly thereafter. 

Long After We Are Gone tells the journey of the four Solomon siblings - sisters CeCe and Tokey and brothers Junior and Mance. We learn in the very first sentence of the book that their father, King Solomon, is dying. And the first chapter ends with his instructions to his children: "Don't let the white man take the house." The house mentioned lies on a large amount of land that comprises 200 acres known as "The Kingdom", which has been owned by the Solomon family for 230 years. What follows is the story of each sibling navigating the history of The Kingdom and their individual desired plans for it. However, others outside the family have their own ideas for the estate. Additionally, each sibling is battling their own demons and temptations, all while trying to live up to their father's expectations. 

I appreciated the uniqueness of every single chapter containing the perspective of each sibling. The author does a good job of adding depth to her characters and relaying their personalities and motivations to the reader. I enjoyed the path the siblings took with regard to their relationships with each other, as well as the inner growth each embarked upon. 

What didn't work for me was that I didn't feel particularly invested in one of the storylines and just kept wishing the sibling would make different decisions, and how the sentence structure felt stilted in several instances, along with awkward transitions in some cases. That being said, there are still lyrical sentences throughout. 

"It will take a long time, perhaps a thousand good mornings from now, when it's all over, to understand the impact of King's death. The Solomons will rearrange the pieces they know, question what they will never understand, and reimagine the events in their minds. How it was the best and worse thing for them as a family. How it changed them individually, for the better and for the worse. They will think of King often, what he worked for, instilled in them, believed in."

Please do not fail to read the Author's Note preceding the book. It is informative and necessary, and provides the entire context surrounding the plot of the novel. Historically, many Black families bought land following the Reconstruction, which was then passed down generationally without a will, and was known as heir property. However, this does not constitute a clear title possession of the land. The Kingdom in the novel was heir property. 

I would give a personal rating of 3.75 stars.

Trigger warnings for: death of parent, eating disorder, homophobia, murder, physical abuse, sexual assault, and violence