The story centers on the death of a family patriarch, Kweku Sai. He and his ex-wife, Fola, are African immigrants who met in America, married, and had four children. His death forces his ex-wife and his children to come together and, of course, bring all their unresolved issues with them as well. The book is divided into three sections. I found the first section very difficult to focus on and to read in general. This was mostly due to the writing style. Selasi has never met a set of parentheses that she didn't like. There are some very long involved sentences that are made more convoluted with the addition of parenthetical information. It took me about sixty to eighty pages to get used to it. I would find my mind drifting off into space frequently. I also, initially, didn't know why I should care that this patriarch died. What he did to his family is revealed as the story unfolds. Then it makes sense why this death is so deeply emotional.
Once all the characters were introduced and I had a solid grasp on their role in the story I was hooked. The entire novel gained some momentum and I couldn't put the book down. The four children are greatly flawed in their own personal ways. Yet they are all trying to be the model citizen/child/student/achiever. Two of the children hold an awful secret that, when spoken, provides a much needed breakthrough for several characters. If you read carefully you will have a vague idea of what the secret is, although the specifics may not be what you thought.
By the end of the book, I had come to enjoy the writing as well as the story. I liked the slow unfolding of the story. Although I questioned many of the decisions made by the characters in the book, I suspended disbelief and went with it. I'm glad I did.
