The Turner House, by Angela Flournoy (2015)
Francis and Voila Turner raised their 13 children in a small house in Detroit, Michigan. They moved to Michigan during the "great migration" in hopes of a better life than they would have had they stayed in rural Arkansas. When the book opens, Francis is long dead and Viola is ill and temporarily living with her eldest son, Charles, known as Cha-Cha. Although Viola refuses to acknowledge that she will not be returning to her home, her children meet to decide what to do with the house. It's 2008, and Detroit has been hit hard by the declining auto industry. The neighborhood, which never was in the best part of town, is now crime-ridden and not safe. The house is in disrepair and dangerous. In addition, Viola refinanced her home in the 1990s before the housing bubble burst, and there is still a huge $40,000 mortgage, although the house is worth only $3,000 or $4,000.
Although there are 13 Turner children, ranging in age from 64 to 41, the novel focuses on the oldest, Cha-Cha, and the youngest, Lelah, both of whom still live in Detroit. Cha-Cha was a truck driver, but was injured in an accident. Lelah has a gambling problem, and after she is evicted from her apartment, moves into her decrepit childhood house. She doesn't want anyone to know of her situation, so sneaks in and out of the home.
I loved each member of the Turner family. The author created characters who truly came life. Each character has flaw, but are so real and the family truly loves and cares for each other.
I loved this novel and was sorry when it ended.
Read: November 4, 2017
5 Stars
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