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A review by mochagirl
Conception by Kalisha Buckhanon
4.0
As the title implies, Kalisha Buckhanon's sophomoric offering, Conception, is nothing short of outstanding. Initially, I was truly concerned if she could deliver as strong and solid a follow-up to her hit debut Upstate - but with this second novel, she removes all doubt. She is truly a talented writer.
Buckhanon returns to familiar territory - the trials of adolescence set in 1992 on the South Side of Chicago where the story focuses on the unpopular, unpretty, undereducated, unmotivated 15-year-old Shivana Montgomery. A product of a single-parent home with a verbally and physically abusive mother, she naively becomes a victim of molestation which results in an unplanned pregnancy by the unemployed, drug-dealing husband of the family she baby-sits for weekly. She is a typical troubled teen hiding behind "ghetto-girl" attitude and street-wise bravado who grapples with school bullies, a despondent, distrusting mother, and humiliating, clandestine trips to the free clinic as she considers her family planning options. Complicating matters further is her budding love affair with a new guy in the building, Rasul.
Blended between Shivana's daily drama is the voice of the unborn spirit child who has been searching for the perfect womb to allow its birth to come to fruition. The child tells of its previous conceptions in 1842 to Yoshi, a young slave girl, impregnated by the plantation stud; 1892 to the homely and newly emancipated Darlene who is smitten with Tuck; and lastly in 1942 to recently widowed Southerner, Tawana, disillusioned by the promises and hopes that the North (Harlem) offered. To reveal more would spoil the plot for the reader; however, I will say, I found these passages equally as engaging as the present-day plotline. The wisdom and dreamlike sequences of the child are beautifully written segments of lyrical prose. The breath and depth of the story is not lost with the rich and heart-breaking stories behind the supporting characters. And the ending - well, I will simply say...Brilliant!
The book is masterful in that it combines age-old themes of abandonment and its embittering effects on those left behind, particularly the women and the children. The author seemingly has her pulse on the mindset of the youth and delivers to the reader a realistic glimpse of the obstacles, the sense of hopelessness and despair that runs rampant in their world. More evidence of her genius is the clever use of metaphors and symbolism sprinkled throughout the story. The use of color (i.e. the recurring white head scarf) and aquatic references (e.g. drowning and the use of water as a medium for purification, escape, and rebirth) yields nothing short of a page-turner that will appeal to fans of the urban, contemporary ficton, and literary genres. I reviewed an advanced reading copy in 2007 and this novel has solidly earned a place on my Top Reads List for 2008. Well Done and Bravo!
Reviewed by Phyllis
December 28, 2007
Buckhanon returns to familiar territory - the trials of adolescence set in 1992 on the South Side of Chicago where the story focuses on the unpopular, unpretty, undereducated, unmotivated 15-year-old Shivana Montgomery. A product of a single-parent home with a verbally and physically abusive mother, she naively becomes a victim of molestation which results in an unplanned pregnancy by the unemployed, drug-dealing husband of the family she baby-sits for weekly. She is a typical troubled teen hiding behind "ghetto-girl" attitude and street-wise bravado who grapples with school bullies, a despondent, distrusting mother, and humiliating, clandestine trips to the free clinic as she considers her family planning options. Complicating matters further is her budding love affair with a new guy in the building, Rasul.
Blended between Shivana's daily drama is the voice of the unborn spirit child who has been searching for the perfect womb to allow its birth to come to fruition. The child tells of its previous conceptions in 1842 to Yoshi, a young slave girl, impregnated by the plantation stud; 1892 to the homely and newly emancipated Darlene who is smitten with Tuck; and lastly in 1942 to recently widowed Southerner, Tawana, disillusioned by the promises and hopes that the North (Harlem) offered. To reveal more would spoil the plot for the reader; however, I will say, I found these passages equally as engaging as the present-day plotline. The wisdom and dreamlike sequences of the child are beautifully written segments of lyrical prose. The breath and depth of the story is not lost with the rich and heart-breaking stories behind the supporting characters. And the ending - well, I will simply say...Brilliant!
The book is masterful in that it combines age-old themes of abandonment and its embittering effects on those left behind, particularly the women and the children. The author seemingly has her pulse on the mindset of the youth and delivers to the reader a realistic glimpse of the obstacles, the sense of hopelessness and despair that runs rampant in their world. More evidence of her genius is the clever use of metaphors and symbolism sprinkled throughout the story. The use of color (i.e. the recurring white head scarf) and aquatic references (e.g. drowning and the use of water as a medium for purification, escape, and rebirth) yields nothing short of a page-turner that will appeal to fans of the urban, contemporary ficton, and literary genres. I reviewed an advanced reading copy in 2007 and this novel has solidly earned a place on my Top Reads List for 2008. Well Done and Bravo!
Reviewed by Phyllis
December 28, 2007