![]() ![]() The great strength of this novel is a cast of indelible characters, from the fatally flawed Emma Jean to the long-suffering father, Gus, and the six magnificently named sons-James Earl, Authorly, Woody, King Solomon, Blind Bartimaeus, and Mister-who must guide the reinvention of their sister into a brother. Calling that situation “a little strange” doesn’t begin to do it justice, as the entire family tries to cope with the fallout in very different ways. It’ll be a little strange at first, but you’ll get used to it, and this’ll be over after a while.” Without ceremony or excuse, Perfect is rechristened Paul. But that ain’t what you was supposed to be. When Perfect turns eight, her mother tells her, “You was born a boy. Perfect is the adored daughter Emma Jean always wanted, until reality becomes unavoidable. Martin’s Press, $25.99) begins when Emma Jean Peace delivers her seventh son and makes the unfathomable decision to raise the child-named Perfect-as a girl. Daniel Black’s third novel-after They Tell Me of a Home and The Sacred Place-is a complex, imaginative story of one unforgettable black family in mid-twentieth-century Arkansas. ![]()
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