Advanced Reading Copy

I finished reading All Aunt’s Hagar Children a few days ago and had to come back to write a little blurb about it because those stories are still lingering around me. Of course, as in any collection of stories, 3 or 4 make a bigger impact then the rest, however I was quite surprised of how even this selection is overall. Not a small task in a book with 14 stories.

Those are complex stories, with a multitude of secondary characters – neighbors, relatives, ancestors – showing up and furnishing the main story line with flavor and color and creating whole universes. The language is poetic. The prose is full of subtle – and not so subtle - magic realism: the devil shows up at a grocery store; a woman paints pictures of people dead in different countries and time; and yet another woman becomes blind while taking the bus home. But, most often, the stories are about people dealing with the tragedies of their lives, small and big disappointments and endless hope for whatever is to come.

I do love short stories, a genre I realize not every reader appreciates. And Edward P. Jones excels at the genre. I did love his novel “The Known World”, but I crave for more of his short stories.
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I generally much prefer novels to short stories but I enjoyed this collection. Set in Washington DC, it examines the lives of African Americans who are transplants from another time and place. All grew up in rural, southern communities and most still have family there. What I found interesting was the way the culture and social mores of the country adapted to the lives of those living in the city. ( )

Excellent book. A great look into African American life in Washington DC over course of several generations. ( )

Excellent book. A great look into African American life in Washington DC over course of several generations. ( )