What We Lose

“An orphan was always a person without parents, without roots. I had one parent, and one was not none.”

This is a coming-of-age story about a young African-American woman, Thandi, who just lost her mother. The story covers more than just grief, bereavement and mourning. There is love, family dynamics, deep friendships and more. We see her struggle with her identity as a white-passing black girl in Pennsylvania and her efforts to stay connected with her roots in Johannesburg. I loved her friendship with Aminah and how it grew over the years. Thandi's relationship with her father was not the easiest and it is portrayed quite honestly. I liked it overall, highly recommend!