rbtrueman 's review for:

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis

3.0

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I wanted to like this more than I did. Something just felt a little off, like it (the author? the narrative?) was trying too hard. I missed a sense of flow and direction, perhaps because each chapter was about a different child -- but that doesn't usually cause a problem. I enjoyed Olive Kitterage and it was, if anything, a more difficult read. This book had the benefit of family to tie the individual stories together and present differing POVs of Hattie. It is a powerful story and I think we will be seeing great new works from Mathis for a long time to come.