The Turner House tells the story of Frances and Viola Turner and their thirteen children. A family tree is given for reference, but it is not really needed, as chapters of the book focus on a few of the fifteen immediate family members. Much of the present-day narrative is devoted to Cha-Cha, the eldest of the Turner children. After his father's passing, Cha-Cha struggles with his identity as a husband, caregiver for an ailing Viola, and his position as defacto family matriarch to the remaining siblings in the Detroit area. His younger brother Troy struggles to earn the respect of his family and white colleagues as a police officer while Lelah, the youngest Turner child, tried to hide her homelessness and gambling addition from the rest of the family. Flashbacks tell the story of Frances and Viola's early struggles.
When the resale value of their childhood home plummets due to the deterioration of their neighborhood, the siblings clash on whether to short sell the home or continue to pay the mortgage while allowing the abandoned property to be slowly looted of anything worth taking. The decision about what to do with the house forces each of the Turner children to examine their own lives and their relationships to each other.
The Turner House is an engaging story with characters that ring true. It is also the story about the difficulties race and poverty heap upon people who are trying their best, set in the backdrop of a deteriorating Detroit. Angela Flournoy's first novel is a well-written tribute to the ties that bind and sometimes strangle a family.
Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When the resale value of their childhood home plummets due to the deterioration of their neighborhood, the siblings clash on whether to short sell the home or continue to pay the mortgage while allowing the abandoned property to be slowly looted of anything worth taking. The decision about what to do with the house forces each of the Turner children to examine their own lives and their relationships to each other.
The Turner House is an engaging story with characters that ring true. It is also the story about the difficulties race and poverty heap upon people who are trying their best, set in the backdrop of a deteriorating Detroit. Angela Flournoy's first novel is a well-written tribute to the ties that bind and sometimes strangle a family.
Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is an engaging read about a large Detroit family whose family home is in a bad section of town and has fallen into disrepair. The underlying thread throughout the book is what is to be done with the house. The siblings all have varying ideas which ultimately stem from their current circumstances-some better than others. There is a whole host of interesting characters throughout the book and a backstory that tells how it all came to be for this family. It's a well written book - makes you so happy for the power of family.
National Book Award finalist? I was very disappointed; just didn't hold my interest at all. Wading through dysfunctional family relationships is not my cup of tea for pleasurable reading. None of the characters was even remotely interesting.
