Perish a novel

"LaToya Watkins's Perish follows four members of the Turner clan: Julie B., a woman who regrets her wasted youth and the time spent under Helen Jean's thumb; Alex, a police officer grappling with a dark and twisted past; Jan, mother of two, who yearns to go to school and leave Jerusal...

Full description

Main Author: Watkins, LaToya (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language: English
Published: New York : Tiny Reparations Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, [2022]
Subjects:
Summary: "LaToya Watkins's Perish follows four members of the Turner clan: Julie B., a woman who regrets her wasted youth and the time spent under Helen Jean's thumb; Alex, a police officer grappling with a dark and twisted past; Jan, mother of two, who yearns to go to school and leave Jerusalem and all of its trauma behind for good; And Lydia, a woman whose marriage is falling apart because her body can't seem to stay pregnant; as they're called home to say goodbye to their mother and grandmother, Helen Jean. Told through alternating chapters, and set in a vividly drawn, tight-knit rural, Black Texan community, Perish explores the effects of inherited trauma and intra-generational violence and pain as the family's "reunion" unearths long-kept secrets and forces each member to ask themselves important questions about who is deserving of forgiveness and who bears the cross of blame. With powerful, sharp prose and a sense of place that is wholly immersive, offering a nuanced look into black communites in Texas, this beautiful yet heart-wrenching debut novel will pull you in and drop you into the world LaToya has masterfully crafted within the pages"--
Physical Description: 322 pages : illustration ; 24 cm.
ISBN: 9780593185919
0593185919
Author Notes: LaToya Watkins 's writing has appeared in A Public Space , The Sun magazine, McSweeney's , Kenyon Review , The Pushcart Prize XXXIX (2015), and elsewhere. She has received grants, scholarships, and fellowships from MacDowell, Yaddo, Hedgebrook, and A Public Space (she was one of their 2018 emerging writers fellows). She holds a PhD from the University of Texas at Dallas. Perish is her debut novel.