Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones is a novel about sisters, but
it has a twist: these sisters have a
bigamist father who is married to both of their mothers -- and only one of the
two sisters knows about these circumstances.
One sister, Dana, feels like she plays second fiddle to Chaurisse, who
gets to live with their father and who remains oblivious to the bigamy.
Chaurisse does know Dana, however, as a beautiful girl that she envies and
would like to befriend. The idea of
there being a “chosen one” threads through the narrative, with each girl in
turn feeling like the other one is “lucky.”
In many ways, this is a straightforward coming-of-age story
that takes place in a very unconventional family. I could see this being a good
choice for older teenagers as well as for adult readers who enjoy domestic
fiction. But what is most interesting to me is that this very universal story
(messed-up family) takes place in a setting that is decisively
African-American. And by setting, I don’t mean just the place where the story
is located (Atlanta). I’m talking about everything – the pictures on the walls,
the hair products the characters use, the historical figures the characters
reference, the music they play – all of it speaks of a deep and rich culture
and heritage. The novel’s complexity comes from its ability to navigate
universality and cultural-specificity at the same time.
I think that this is a story about women – with
relationships between women forming the core of the novel. But I actually find
that Silver Sparrow’s two male characters are the most compelling. The bigamist
father is the centerpiece of the family dysfunction, but he is not exactly a
villain. He is not especially attractive or likeable, but as a reader, I was
rooting for some way for him to make it right. His brother, too, is
fascinating. He is the character who makes the deception possible, but he is,
in many ways, the hero.
I found this interesting interview with the author here. And
look at the interviewer – it's none other than Roxane Gay, who wrote 2014’s An Untamed State and Bad Feminist! Both of those books made all sorts of last year's "Best of" lists. I also found this NPR interview with the author,
where she talks about the importance of acknowledging young people. Here’s a quote I love:
"I was kind of an invisible girl
when I was young. I was more like Chaurisse in my novel. I never felt
particularly special. I mean, I didn't have low self-esteem, but I never felt
sparkly or that I had anything to say. And I went to Spelman College and I met
the president of Spelman at the time, Johnetta Cole. And she had heard that I
was a writer, and she once said to me, 'How's the writing?' and it was like
someone had touched me with a magic wand. And then I started taking my writing
more seriously…The most amazing person I had ever seen in real life said that I
was a writer. So I became known for it, and people started asking me, 'What did
I think about this or that thing? Would I be willing to write for the school
paper?' It gave me value. I felt that I had something to contribute through
writing. And I couldn't help but think, 'Wow, what would happen if someone went
to teenage girls in high school and said: You know, you have more to worry
about than who's going to take you to the prom. Because you have something to
say that matters.’ "
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