Content warnings include child sexual abuse, assault, and rape; racism, including physical violence; and emotional abuse. These are not the only reasons for my rating, but they definitely contributed to my lack of enjoyment in the book. ( )

An incredible book! This debut novel by Nyani Nkrumah is almost impossible to put down. It tells the story of a young Black girl, Ella and her friendship with Katherine St. James, a white researcher from Princeton. The setting is Mississippi in 1982. ( )

Ella is a preteen Black girl living in segregated Ricksville, Mississippi, in 1982. Her life is not easy: in a family of four children, she is the result of her married mother’s infidelity and has the darkest skin colour of anyone in the town. She is ostracized in the community, neglected and physically abused by her mother, and sexually abused by her stepfather. Then Katherine St. James, a white woman, rents a house in the black neighbourhood. A graduate student, she is conducting research for her thesis. Ella and Katherine become acquainted, but it’s obvious that Katherine, with her upbringing and traumatic personal history, has ulterior motives for befriending Ella.

Ella is a truly engaging character. She is intelligent and curious. With a strong belief in God, she remains optimistic regardless of what happens in her life. Because she is an outcast in both her home and her community, she is desperately looking for love and a sense of belonging. Fortunately, she has some people in the community like Mr. Macabe, Nate, and Miss Claudia who do support her and serve as a substitute family.

The book is really Ella’s coming-of-age story. Her experiences with Katherine result in her losing her innocence. Desperate for affection, it is understandable that she is drawn to someone who wants to spend time with her. As a result, she is Katherine’s defender until she gradually realizes that her friendliness is a façade. She also realizes that she must learn to love herself; Mr. Macabe tells her, “’You have to become proud of who you are.’”

The novel emphasizes the lasting impact of racism. Katherine’s father was a Klansman who indoctrinated her into white supremacy. She has tried to distance herself from him and his views but there are indications that she has not been totally successful. The scene in Nate’s restaurant is so telling, not to say ironic, especially her reaction: “’I don’t think he was going to serve me at all. Can you believe that?’” Her thesis is purportedly on the impact of the Civil Rights Movement on both Black and white Americans; though she claims she will be balanced in her approach, she actually seems to focus more on the economic impact of the movement on white Southern farmers as if trying to rationalize and justify their actions. Is her motivation really academic?

This would be a great book for senior high school students. There is much that they could analyze and discuss. There are sections that are somewhat didactic, but on the whole the novel deftly examines the complexities of racism and colourism. ( )

I was immediately drawn into this story of a relationship that develops between Ms. St. James, a white woman from Princeton, and Ella, a precocious 11-year-old Black girl.

It is hard to believe that this is Nkrumah’s debut novel. The writing flows smoothly and paints a picture of the rural segregated community of Ricksville, Mississippi. The characters are authentic, and their emotions are relatable.

Set in 1982, Ms. St. James rents a house on the same street where Ella lives. This piques people’s curiosity since she is the only white person on the street. She has come to Ricksville to do research for her thesis on the civil rights movement. Soon, Ms. St. James befriends Ella who has always felt she was not accepted by others because she has a different daddy than her siblings, and she has notably darker skin.

Alternating with the 1982 timeline are flashbacks to Ms. St. James’ childhood in the 60s in Philadelphia, Mississippi. It was a childhood where racism was acceptable, where it was beaten into her. No matter how much she tries to distance herself from it, it is always lurking in the shadows.

The relationship between Ella and Ms. St. James is extremely complex. There are times that my heart swelled with love that Ella, so starved for attention and love, thought she was getting from Ms. St. James. But at other times, Ella was unknowingly pushing St. James closer and closer to losing control of the façade she lived behind, closer to revealing a secret that she must keep hidden.

The story is often uncomfortably raw as the atrocities of the Jim Crow South are revisited. A question asked by the author is not only how the civil rights movement changed Black society but also how it changed white society.

There are several well-developed characters throughout the book. Mr. Macabe, who is blind, says he cannot see the color of one’s skin. He says that he classifies as good, evil, or somewhere in between. There are characters here that fall into all those categories.

There is a shocking reveal near the end that I should have caught but I was just too absorbed in the story to figure it out.

Thank you to HarperCollins and BookBrowse for the advance copy of the book. These opinions are entirely my own. ( )