Kin, a Review by Susan

Kin
Tayari Jones
368 Pages
Knopf

             I had high expectations for this novel, based on what I heard about the author and her work.  I admit that I have not read her earlier book, An American Marriage.  There were some excellent things about the work and Ms. Jones’ writing, however, it fell short for me in some ways that made it a difficult book to read.

            This author has an excellent grasp on dialogue.  When characters spoke, the novel was at its most interesting.  How the characters conversed appeared authentic.  In addition, the premise was strong.  This was a story about two close friends, whose mothers were no longer in their lives, one because of death and the other because she left.  The book alternated between the two perspectives.  Ms. Jones provided a strong sense of place.  The reader was transported to the south, which is always welcome to the reader.  We all want to feel like we are wherever the novel takes place.

            This book was very sad.  No one really resolves anything.  While this may not bother all readers, and I do not require a happy ending, it is hard for me to read something where no one comes out better at the end.  However, I think the real problem was the pacing.  I was fully engaged at the beginning and somewhat recaptured at the end.  There was a whole lot of middle in the book that lost me and I found my mind wandering.  There were moments when I was tempted to skip ahead because the novel lost my attention.  There was a premise for a good plot but there was no plot per se.  There was no conflict that these characters went through to fight through and emerge at the end, winning or losing.  It was more of a character study in how the two characters handled themselves being motherless.

        The emphasis on character over plot makes this a work of literary fiction.  There is nothing wrong with literary fiction; occasionally, the writing and characters are so stellar that I love the book but such novels usually have a little more action or have something that happens in the middle that maintains my attention.  I did not have that here.  I am not saying that her writing isn’t beautiful or that this author does not have a strong command of many literary elements but it just wasn’t quite enough for me.  It may be for others.

            Thanks to NetGalley and to Knopf for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel.  All of the opinions herein are my own.