Today on WKAR’s Current State, I got the opportunity to catch up with some of my fellow reviewers. You can add me to the chorus now, singing the praises of The Turner House by Angela Flournoy.

You can listen to my review here: http://wkar.org/post/book-review-angela-flournoys-turner-house

If you would rather read my review, you can do so below.

Hey, did you know Current State has a podcast? If you subscribe, you can download episodes and segments (and you can find me every other Thursday). Here is a link to find it on iTunes- https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wkar-fm-current-state/id594609653?mt=2

If you want to check out The Turner House,  you can find it on amazon here. If you want to check out my other book reviews for WKAR’s Current State, you can do so via links on this page. 

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Book Review: The Turner House by Angela Flournoy

It is so reassuring when critics and readers get it right. The Turner House by Angela Flournoy is a stunning debut novel. Just out in paperback, this is a novel everyone should take a moment to discover. It is beautifully written book with wonderfully rich characters. And it is a love song to the generations of African-Americans that call Detroit home.

At the heart of The Turner House is Charles Turner, who everyone calls Cha-Cha. He is the eldest of the 13 Turner siblings and has always felt responsible for taking care of his family. When their mother Viola needs extra care she moves into Cha-Cha’s house. And he is the one who is left to decide what to do with her property, including his childhood home.

Cha-Cha is a retired trucker, but with a haunted past. As a teenager, he believed he battled a ghost in his bedroom. Since then, he’s always felt like he was being followed by a revenge-seeking spirit. When a trucking accident forces him into his retirement, he’s sure it must mean something and begins seeing a psychologist. Most of the people in his family, including his wife Tina, don’t seem to know what to do with Cha Cha in this new stage in his life.

Another favorite character in the novel is Lelah, the youngest of the 13 siblings. Her life, like Cha-Cha’s, is in free fall. Her gambling addiction is tearing her life apart. We first meet Lelah as she being evicted from her apartment, trying to seem strong in an awful situation. She keeps herself distant as she struggles with her demons. She even hides her problems from her daughter Brianne. Feeling lost, Lelah returns home and begins living in the abandoned Turner house. But she isn’t safe there either. The neighborhood is littered with abandoned properties and there are break-ins every day. You can feel the clock ticking down on her life if she can’t find a better option.

One of the great achievements in The Turner House is the realism of the characters. There is nothing stereotypical or generic about them. Each of the Turner family members we meet have strengths, weaknesses and regrets. Their voices jump off the page, leaving the reader feeling like they are watching a real family and not just fiction from an incredible new author.

The hardships the city of Detroit and its citizens have experienced over the years are well documented.  In many ways, The Turner House is the right book at the right time. I can’t imagine this being better planned since the city is on everyone’s mind and people debate how to save it. I believe though Detroit will continue to survive, as long as characters like the Turners continue to call it home, and authors like Flournoy continue to bring their stories to life.

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New book! New book! New book!

My latest novel Permanent Spring Showers was just published by 5 Prince Books. You can find out more about my novel as well as my other books (including A Jane Austen Daydream and My Problem With Doors) and grab a copy via my author page on Amazon.com here.