A review by kellyhook_readsbooks
What's Mine and Yours by Naima Coster

4.0

What’s Mine and Yours tells the story of two fractured families and the tangled ways their lives intersect over the course of 20 years. A North Carolina community is at odds when students from a largely Black school from the east side of town are integrated with a predominantly white high school on the west side in 2002. Told through the lens of multiple family members at different points in time, this beautifully written character-driven novel slowly unfolds.

Naima Coster has given readers a LOT to unpack. Hot button issues? You name it, this one’s got it: racial tension, addiction, abortion, gun violence, infidelity, sexuality, the list goes on. Despite the controversial topics, the story is contemplative and rather understated. The school integration plotline takes a backseat to the true heart of the novel: the search for identity in light of one’s family and upbringing.

Various aspects of this story will resonate differently with each reader, which would make for a fascinating book club discussion