Skin & bones A novel

Award-winning YA and children's author Watson brings her poetic writing and coming-of-age themes to her first adult novel. Lena, 40 and fabulous, is crushing it at her job as the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Multnomah County's public libraries and organizing an exhibit about Portland's historic Black communities. Lena's fiancé, Malcolm, loves her daughter, Aaliyah, just as much as she does, and she has a great support system in best friends Aspen and Kendra. And yet, Lena still feels self-consciousness about her weight, stares from strangers, and her doctor's dismissiveness. She still struggles to confront daily microaggressions, mostly from well-meaning white coworkers. When tragedy brings Aaliyah's father back into Lena's life just as Malcolm confesses a long-held secret that ends their engagement, Lena realizes she must learn how to truly love herself--and how to live in a world that judges her and her decisions. Watson's writing shines in short chapters, some reading as poetry, as she weaves Portland's Black history into a story that contends with the legacy of trauma as well as the beauty of inheritance. An extremely engaging and lovingly written novel, with a heroine to root for--there's nothing not to like.

YA author Watson (Piecing Me Together) makes her adult debut with a heartfelt if heavy-handed exploration of a Black woman's reckoning with her identity and self-image. Lena, a pastor's daughter about to turn 40, is engaged to youth minister Malcolm. She's also a mother to seven-year-old Aaliyah, whom she had with her ex-boyfriend Bryan. Others tell her she's beautiful, but she struggles to accept herself as a fat person. She finds fulfillment in organizing a series of historical exhibits and lectures about the history of her Black neighborhood, which was built decades earlier in the wake of a disastrous flood and is now encroached upon by gentrification. After she learns Malcolm had lied about remaining celibate while they took a break from dating, she calls off the wedding and reconnects with Bryan. She and her Black women friends face constant microaggressions from thin white people about their race and weight, and she's determined to equip Aaliyah with the tools to navigate a world that marginalizes women who look like them. Though the lessons Lena imparts to Aaliyah can make the novel feel like an after school special, Watson widens the story's scope with lyrical prose: "We are the splinter festering in the heart of this city, not easily removed." Readers will be glad to know Watson's defiant and loving protagonist. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary. (May)

An award-winning author of books for young readers explores white supremacy and anti-fat bias in her first novel for adults. No matter how Lena Baker might feel about her big body, others see her size as concerning, inconvenient, or distasteful. She has to go to several stores before she can find a shop that will help her find a wedding dress. Getting a restaurant table that meets her needs is an embarrassing ordeal. And medical professionals want to check her blood sugar levels and talk about her weight regardless of why she's seeing them. Despite this, at age 40, she's in a good place. She's made a comfortable home for her little girl in Portland, Oregon, the city where she grew up, where her family and closest friends live. She's engaged to Malcolm Wilson, the assistant pastor at her father's church. And she's doing work that is important to her. As the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for Multnomah County's public libraries, she's putting together a program about Portland's Black history. Then, on what is supposed to be her wedding day, Malcolm reveals that he has been untruthful with Lena; as she tries to recover from this betrayal, she also contends with the struggles that are endemic to being a woman approaching middle age--and those that are specific to being a big Black woman in contemporary America. Watson is adept at negotiating the complicated terrain of family, friends, and romantic partnership as they intersect with racism. As Watson weaves bits of history into the narrative, Lena sees herself in the Black people who chose to settle in the whitest city in America--a city that is white by design--and looks to them to teach her how to live in a world not made for her. Both tender and unflinching. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.