Books are a wonderful way for coworkers and friends to share experiences, even when we’re miles, states, and countries apart. Hearing about what someone is reading is like taking a 5-minute vacation. Each week, one Piper team member will answer the question, “What are you reading?” and take you on a well-deserved, 5-minute vacation.
This week Claire is reading The Turner House by Angela Flournoy.
“…each finds his or her own way of coping…not always successfully.”
CLAIRE SAYS…
The book starts off with a “haint,” a ghostlike figure that visits a small boy to describe his future and then delves into the story of addiction in a Detroit family. It covers the lives of all of the siblings, led by the eldest son, Cha-cha, and their individual responses to trouble and strife. They do not believe in any form of mental illness or addiction, and each finds his or her own way of coping…not always successfully. The book was beautifully written, with strong character development. It could have been overly cautious…instead, it was just real.
AMAZON DESCRIPTION
The Turners have lived on Yarrow Street for over fifty years. Their house has seen thirteen children grown and gone—and some returned; it has seen the arrival of grandchildren, the fall of Detroit’s East Side, and the loss of a father. The house still stands despite abandoned lots, an embattled city, and the inevitable shift outward to the suburbs. But now, as ailing matriarch Viola finds herself forced to leave her home and move in with her eldest son, the family discovers that the house is worth just a tenth of its mortgage. The Turner children are called home to decide its fate and to reckon with how each of their pasts haunts—and shapes—their family’s future.
Praised by Ayana Mathis as “utterly moving” and “un-putdownable,” The Turner House brings us a colorful, complicated brood full of love and pride, sacrifice and unlikely inheritances. It’s a striking examination of the price we pay for our dreams and futures, and the ways in which our families bring us home.
HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK?
Tell Claire what you thought in the blog comments below!
