RaveThe Irish Times (IRE)... a work of profound beauty, insight and intellectual rigour ... To keep track of this wide cast of characters the book is furnished with a family tree at its opening, as both a way of reminding the reader of the family itself, but also to give the novel a sense of its important history: though this is fiction, the historical reality of Jeffers’s writing cannot be denied ... As Jeffers engages with important ideas, theories and literature, she also gives ample space to the family who are the anchor of the novel; scenes of cooking, family get-togethers, and storytelling and joking abound, allowing the reader to see the strength of her character-writing and dialogue. The depiction of the Garfield family through Ailey’s narration is particularly memorable, and much care and attention has been taken to create the loving family ... This novel – a family drama, a historical epic and intellectual inquiry all at once – complicates and, more importantly, enriches the story that America wants to tell itself.
