Watts, Stephanie Powell

What is lovely about these stories is that Watts can take a few words and paint a landscape that reveals so much richness about the people and culture. Similar to Pearl Cleage's Brass Bed and Other Stories, this collection will appeal to readers of Southern and African American fiction.

Originally published in 2011 and getting a relaunch following the success of Watts's No One Is Coming To Save Us, the inaugural Sarah Jessica Parker Pick for ALA's Book Club Central, this collection focuses on working-class African Americans in the South, from a Jehovah's Witness wondering whether she'll stay with the church to a family tentatively celebrating when a son is released on bail...

This quiet debut novel takes its time, much like the conversations among the various characters, which meander and loop around before reaching their point. The resolution is believable and gratifying without being pat. [See Prepub Alert, 10/24/16.]