Ratings3
Average rating3.3
Penelope Grand has scrapped her failed career as an artist in Pittsburgh and moved back to Brooklyn to keep an eye on her ailing father. She's accepted that her future won't be what she'd dreamed, but now, as gentrification has completely reshaped her old neighborhood, even her past is unrecognizable. Old haunts have been razed, and wealthy white strangers have replaced every familiar face in Bed-Stuy. Even her mother, Mirella, has abandoned the family to reclaim her roots in the Dominican Republic. That took courage. It's also unforgivable. When Penelope moves into the attic apartment of the affluent Harpers, she thinks she's found a semblance of family, and maybe even love. But her world is upended again when she receives a postcard from Mirella asking for reconciliation. As old wounds are reopened, and secrets revealed, a journey across an ocean of sacrifice and self-discovery begins.
Reviews with the most likes.
This book is about complex relationships between (i) people and (ii) people and their environment. Every character is both lovable and hatable at the same time. Their actions and motivations are complex and nuanced. I really enjoyed reading this book because it felt like an accurate reflection of a broken family and seeing one's hometown lose its character. A phenomenal debut novel!