From the acclaimed author of Hold My Girl comes a sweeping multi-generational story about motherhood, race, and secrets. When 24-year-old Kareela discovers she's pregnant with a child she isn't sure she wants, her struggle to understand her identity as a half-Black, half-white individual intensifies. Her mother, Evelyn, fled to Canada with her husband and their first-born during the politically charged Jamaican exodus of the 1980s, only to face the harsh reality of living in a place where Black men are viewed with suspicion—a challenge Evelyn witnesses her husband and son confront daily. Years later, after her son's tragic murder by the police, Evelyn's mother-in-law, Violet, moves in, providing Kareela with a connection to the Jamaican heritage she has never fully embraced. Despite Violet's attempts to help them navigate their grief, the traumas they bear evolve into a web of secrets that jeopardizes their family bonds. In the present, Kareela, filled with fear and uncertainty about her pregnancy, must confront the mysteries of her family's past while seeking to understand her identity and future. Weaving the women's stories across multiple timelines, the narrative reveals how seemingly simple choices, made in moments of emotional turmoil, can lead to profound and lasting consequences, especially when silence prevails.
