An Authentic Atlanta Story
You’ve heard of New York Stories? Well, The Untelling by Tayari Jones is an authentic Atlanta Story. An eloquent, New South narrative reminding us that what William Faulkner said is indeed true, that “The past is.” The soft fragrance of an urban magnolia, Adriane Jackson, unfolds as we learn how private guilt and shame over a past, which we sometimes have no control over, works to create a self-deprecating consciousness, threatening to crumble our future happiness. The Untelling speaks about how family secrets folded and tucked away, resurface and erupt into a barrage of emotions, regret and even physical devastation. This is an important lesson for African American families, for I believe it is our tendency to bury those poignant, deeply personal family injuries with the belief that we will simply “get over it”. But Jones shows us through this powerful and contemporary tale how our clandestine memories linger, maybe forever. Labels: Reading
posted by persistence @ 9:08 AM
4 Comments
4 Comments:
Where's the rest of your review?! I hope that's not all.
Well, it's not a review 'a la New York Times’; it's just a quick personal assessment of the overall story, not a professional analysis (I'm still working on that). It was not my intention to recap or summarize. Hopefully, I gave enough of a sneak peek to get someone's attention and spark enough interest to get others to read it for themselves. I apologize if it was not what you were expecting, but Jones is a gifted writer and well worth the read.
No, no. Your "sneak peek" was interesting enough. I wanted more. Have you seen Jones' blog?
Indeed, I often peruse her blog. She gives great info and insight into the publishing and writing life. I've also read her novel, "Leaving Atlanta", which is a heart wrenching look at the Atlanta child murders which took place in the '80s, from the perspective of children.
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