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A review by gabsalott13
Blackberries, Blackberries by Crystal Wilkinson
4.0
I try not to say this often so I won’t say it lightly—this is a very important book, with a sort of attentive brevity that you rarely see in work deemed “important.” In less than 200 pages, I felt overwhelmed by and completely aware of these characters, many of whom are the sort of long-suffering matriarchs and caretakers who rarely become the focal points of fiction. There are so many beautifully rendered moments of unexpected friendships, alliances, and romances here, ones that sneak up in your soul and depart as quickly as they came, leaving you in all sorts of feelings.
In some ways, Blackberries, Blackberries reminded me of [b:What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky|31522415|What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky|Lesley Nneka Arimah|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1474622115s/31522415.jpg|52207427]—like [a:Lesley Nneka Arimah|14548993|Lesley Nneka Arimah|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], [a:Crystal Wilkinson|214227|Crystal Wilkinson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1305145412p2/214227.jpg] is unbelievably skilled in composing full-fleshed characters in several short sentences. Sometimes, this backfired a bit—I did wish we saw more of these characters, perhaps through their recurrence in other stories. One of the obstacles with flash fiction is that its quantity can often obscure quality—after about ten of the stories had passed, I began to blur the dozens of protagonists together, and often had to go back to gain the full merit of each story.
My hands-down favorite story in the collection is “The Awakening,” a small story near the start about a long-suffering woman who builds herself a much deserved day off. Wilkinson vividly imagines her characters outside of the roles society sees for them, and forces you to do the same. I found myself with new perspectives on people generally considered to be little more than matronly, ungodly, or backwards (they are all delightfully country.)
This book is experiencing something of a renaissance, what with a new publication and renewed attention from prominent Southern writers like [a:Nikky Finney|498025|Nikky Finney|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1394122720p2/498025.jpg]. I can’t help but think about how important a contribution Wilkinson’s voice is to our (Black, Southern) literary tradition, as she centers a region of the South (Appalachia) we rarely get black stories from, though clearly there are many to be told. She left me fond of and stunned by the hills and hollers of her home—you see, in the urban North, where every block of land is mapped and accounted for, you can only be so surprised by where you end up—not so much for Wilkinson’s Kentucky. It is this unknowing while knowing your whole life, this small-town caliber of revelation, that makes Blackberries, Blackberries so compelling and mysterious.
After finishing this one, I’m eager to read the work of more black Kentuckians, including that of [a:Gayl Jones|51895|Gayl Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1317129411p2/51895.jpg], one of Wilkinson’s self-described mentors; including [a:Leesa Cross-Smith|6569545|Leesa Cross-Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1393977141p2/6569545.jpg]’s upcoming novel, [b:Whiskey & Ribbons: A Novel|38219710|Whiskey & Ribbons A Novel|Leesa Cross-Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1517089933s/38219710.jpg|57740792]; and of course, including more of this author. I am rushing to fit Wilkinson’s 2016 novel, [b:The Birds of Opulence|26702833|The Birds of Opulence|Crystal Wilkinson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1444681311s/26702833.jpg|46731348], into my March or April TBR, in hopes of getting to live with her people for a bit longer.
Technical Note: this edition, published in 2017 by the University Press of Kentucky, has a gorgeous cover I would love to upload to Goodreads. Does anyone know how I might do this, without creating a new edition of the book altogether? The instructions I read were not exactly helpful on this matter…
In some ways, Blackberries, Blackberries reminded me of [b:What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky|31522415|What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky|Lesley Nneka Arimah|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1474622115s/31522415.jpg|52207427]—like [a:Lesley Nneka Arimah|14548993|Lesley Nneka Arimah|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], [a:Crystal Wilkinson|214227|Crystal Wilkinson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1305145412p2/214227.jpg] is unbelievably skilled in composing full-fleshed characters in several short sentences. Sometimes, this backfired a bit—I did wish we saw more of these characters, perhaps through their recurrence in other stories. One of the obstacles with flash fiction is that its quantity can often obscure quality—after about ten of the stories had passed, I began to blur the dozens of protagonists together, and often had to go back to gain the full merit of each story.
My hands-down favorite story in the collection is “The Awakening,” a small story near the start about a long-suffering woman who builds herself a much deserved day off. Wilkinson vividly imagines her characters outside of the roles society sees for them, and forces you to do the same. I found myself with new perspectives on people generally considered to be little more than matronly, ungodly, or backwards (they are all delightfully country.)
This book is experiencing something of a renaissance, what with a new publication and renewed attention from prominent Southern writers like [a:Nikky Finney|498025|Nikky Finney|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1394122720p2/498025.jpg]. I can’t help but think about how important a contribution Wilkinson’s voice is to our (Black, Southern) literary tradition, as she centers a region of the South (Appalachia) we rarely get black stories from, though clearly there are many to be told. She left me fond of and stunned by the hills and hollers of her home—you see, in the urban North, where every block of land is mapped and accounted for, you can only be so surprised by where you end up—not so much for Wilkinson’s Kentucky. It is this unknowing while knowing your whole life, this small-town caliber of revelation, that makes Blackberries, Blackberries so compelling and mysterious.
After finishing this one, I’m eager to read the work of more black Kentuckians, including that of [a:Gayl Jones|51895|Gayl Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1317129411p2/51895.jpg], one of Wilkinson’s self-described mentors; including [a:Leesa Cross-Smith|6569545|Leesa Cross-Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1393977141p2/6569545.jpg]’s upcoming novel, [b:Whiskey & Ribbons: A Novel|38219710|Whiskey & Ribbons A Novel|Leesa Cross-Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1517089933s/38219710.jpg|57740792]; and of course, including more of this author. I am rushing to fit Wilkinson’s 2016 novel, [b:The Birds of Opulence|26702833|The Birds of Opulence|Crystal Wilkinson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1444681311s/26702833.jpg|46731348], into my March or April TBR, in hopes of getting to live with her people for a bit longer.
Technical Note: this edition, published in 2017 by the University Press of Kentucky, has a gorgeous cover I would love to upload to Goodreads. Does anyone know how I might do this, without creating a new edition of the book altogether? The instructions I read were not exactly helpful on this matter…