The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

Just finished reading The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis. It's a real page turner. I had to know, right now, what was going on with Hattie's kids. Mathis doesn't beat around the bush, she jumps right into the drama in the first paragraph of the first chapter.

Her lyrical writing style drew me in. I could visualize the people, rooms, streets, towns and cities she described. I felt the dysfunction and mental illness of some, OK, all of the characters. From the inside out. I understood the cause of their problems and I hoped that at least one of her kids would find happiness.

The story spans generations, beginning in the 1920s and ending in the 80s, and it's interesting to see how much changes and how little changes over the decades.