Description
‘My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist.’
This is the story of a man’s deception, a family’s complicity, and the two teenage girls caught in the middle. James Witherspoon has two families, one public, the other a closely guarded secret. But when his daughters meet and form a friendship, only one of them knows the truth. Theirs is a relationship destined to explode.
Silver Sparrow is the stunning new novel from the critically acclaimed winner of the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction, one of the most important writers of her generation.
About the author
Tayari Jones is the internationally bestselling author of four novels, most recently An American Marriage, winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019. Jones is the recipient of the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, a United States Artist Fellowship, NEA Fellowship and a Radcliffe Institute Bunting Fellowship. She is also a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. Born in Atlanta, Jones is a graduate of Spelman College, University of Iowa, and Arizona State University. She is currently professor of Creative Writing at Emory University and an Andrew Dickson White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University.
My thoughts
I loved this epic book which is basically an exploration into the lives of two girls that share a father who is a bigamist. Delving deeply into the human condition, one daughter is hidden from the world and suffers the injustice of being the hidden child. I pondered over the bigamy theme and then the themes of consent and statutory rape followed. Also, it made me think about the law and morality, and how innocent people suffer from the poor decisions of others.
With the way the characters were written, I couldn’t help but feel deeply for both Dana and Chaurisse. They both came with their own problems and stories that I’d totally invested in.
The coming of age elements were fabulously written, taking the girls from children to young women with all the emotional storminess which comes with that age.
I can’t recommend it highly enough if you love a book with an epic feel about it that spans over many years. It will have you thinking about it long after you’ve finished the story!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silver-Sparrow-Tayari-Jones/dp/1786077965/
Thanks for reading!
Why not check out one of my other reviews? Maybe you’ll find your perfect read.
The Wife by Shalini Boland – review. https://griffbuck.wordpress.com/2020/09/09/the-wife-by-shalini-boland-review/
Carla Kovach – author of Amazon and iBooks bestselling DI Gina Harte crime series.
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