Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Haynes (Right by My Side) untangles the pretensions and biases of his Black characters in this masterful collection. The novella-length title entry follows middle-aged retail analyst Cynthia Garrison, who takes the afternoon off to visit the nursing home where the body of her recently deceased mother is being prepped for the funeral. There, Cynthia is flooded by memories of her mother's chaste outlook ("If it were up to me, there'd be a hotline to call to report when a slut was on the loose") and insistence that she act white. In "Blind Alley," a conservative woman rues the arrival of an indecorous new neighbor, "plopped down in the community like an off-brand fried chicken establishment," and bemoans her older sister's two "ghetto fabulous" weddings. The deliciously complex "Taking Miss Kezee to the Polls" chronicles the backfiring of a good deed, as young David Johnson volunteers to drive a member of his church to vote in 1980s St. Paul, Minn. On the way, the elderly parishioner brags about being one of the first African Americans allowed to vote at her polling place in 1925, a fact David had venerated her for. As their outing progresses, however, he's disillusioned by her high-handed treatment of him. Haynes writes with confidence and power, and he has a particular talent for closing lines that cut straight to the heart. It's a knockout. Agent: Kima Jones, Triangle House. (Apr.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A master class in storytelling from the inside out. The "Martha" in the title novella that kicks off this spirited, witty, and illuminating array of short fiction is the recently deceased mother of Cynthia Garrison, a St. Louis-born-and-bred Black professional who is en route to the funeral home where Martha's remains are being prepared for burial. Cynthia, caustic, judgmental, and perpetually dissatisfied, is staging in her mind a kind of extended wake for her caustic, judgmental, and perpetually dissatisfied mother. Not even the congenial, supportive presence of Janine Chalifour, a white co-worker who accompanies Cynthia on a trip to the mortuary, can distract Martha's daughter from taking acrid inventory of her entitled mother's unending torrent of insults, complaints, "harrumph[s]," and nagging correctives. The kind of mom who will routinely say things to her daughter like, "And this is what you're wearing today?," then cross her arms and "look from [Cynthia] to the doorknob and back. Like a bossy and overindulged German shepherd ready for its morning walk." At the same time, Cynthia, who has had little time to acclimate herself to Martha's death, knows there are aspects of this mostly exasperating legacy that have given her just as much to be grateful for, and it is through this private understanding that the story offers readers with similarly challenging families a route toward tentative yet uneasy reconciliation. This blend of edgy humor, discerning compassion, and acute observation pervades all these tales of intelligent, resourceful Black women who may not be as resilient as they think they are, but find surprising reserves of strength and self-sufficiency, even at their worst or, at least, most unsettling times. Haynes' first collection of stories is a treasure trove of warmth, smarts, and wisdom. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
