Everybody's the hero of their own story.

## Why I picked it up ##

Mel told me she liked it, and wanted to talk to me about it

## What I liked about it ##

Nuance of character. Alix maintained a little bit of likability and sympathy right up to the very end.

Briar was cute as hell. I usually don't like the precocious kid trope but I guess it worked well here because she wasn't especially precocious. She was just a normal 3 year old.

## One thing I want to remember ##

The feeling of great sadness at the end when Emira spelled out why everybody in this book was miserable: "And some days, Emira would carry the dread that if Briar ever struggled to find herself, she'd probably just hire someone to do it for her."

Kelly relied on black people and black culture to define himself. Alix desired forgiveness and approval of black people.

Emira herself struggled to find herself, but did so by staying true to the love she has for others and the love her friends have for her.

## Who I'd recommend it to ##

Anybody interested in the subtleties of race relations. Or anybody. It's a good book.

Reading tip: read the first 40% as fast as possible. It goes slow, but sets the stage for the next half, which goes super fast.