By Gwen McKinney
The popular parlance “women’s intuition” is mostly a cliché. Add faith, sisterhood and communing with the ancestors, and it becomes something else entirely—an authentic Black woman thing. Call it a deep sense of knowing, clairvoyance tinged with certainty, that many of us experience throughout our lifetime…and beyond.
That brand of mysticism is the stuff that fuels Diane McKinney-Whetstone’s eighth novel, Family Spirit, scheduled for release August 12. It guarantees to keep you enthralled from Page 1 forward.
Like all her previous stories, Family Spirit, set in McKinney-Whetstone’s hometown Philadelphia, is richly lyrical, using language to stoke the five senses. Her characters are always familiar and complicated. Though defying stereotypes, they could easily be a schoolmate or neighbor you’ve known forever.
Full disclosure: I knowingly absorb all McKinney-Whetstone’s novels like few others can, abetted by sibling DNA. Like her favorite turtleneck I snuck in my book bag to wear at a special 10th grade assembly without her knowledge, her storytelling is intimate apparel, way more consequential for me than a borrowed garment. Woven from our shared experiences, her imagery and imaginings are a warm quilt of memories and recollections. In all eight books, it is a family affair.
Any biases you suspect because of our bloodline should be sidestepped here and now. Just ask the legions of devoted McKinney-Whetstone followers who complain that the spaces between her novels are far too long. Beginning with her 1996 debut bestseller Tumbling, the author compels readers to invest in the characters as companions. Every page turner has a beating heart. At the end of each of her books readers are left longing for sequels to hold on to the characters and tie up unfinished business.
This latest novel is a departure from her previous works. It’s a daring, circular tale that features Nona, the fictional author of this saga, as both protagonist and creator.Time, place and motion carry you into a nonlinear narrative that is as much a journey as an easy read that ends too soon.
Through Nona, Family Spirit stitches together a multi-generational collection of Black women, all part of the Mace family, who happen to be blessed with the powers of “knowing.” They use their ability to see the unforeseen, mingling both business and spiritual ends into a lush stew of unfolding events.
Nona fades in and out of the narrative. Each time a snippet of her story emerges, you want to hear her voice louder to understand her creative process and the lived experiences that shaped Family Spirit.
McKinney-Whetstone clues us in only briefly, teasing out the dynamic challenges of “the end” that confront most authors in their storytelling.
Although Diane would argue to the contrary, I’m certain she and Nona are intertwined. Both authors care deeply about their characters and willingly, patiently allow them to come to life and find their way through the peaks and mountains of the adventure. As their dramas unfold and wind down, their characters exist as real people – family in their own right – who take urgent flight with the demand to be seen, heard and understood.
