I’m a big fan of Tayari Jones, so I was thrilled to get an advanced copy of her newest book, Kin. This was a beautiful, moving story.
It’s the story of a friendship between two women that begins almost at birth. Vernice and Annie are “cradle sisters” in the small town of Honeysuckle, Mississippi. Neicy’s father killed her mother when Neicy was a baby, and she’s been raised by her aunt. Annie’s mother left her in the care of her grandmother and never returned.
Neicy and me have been friends since we smiled with our milk teeth. We were two motherless girls that everyone felt sorry for, but Niecy was especially cooed over because of her sweet face, which reminded folks of her mother, who was gone from this world and it was a crying shame. My situation also called for pity, but no one ever remembered my mother as a “poor thing.” If there was one word on every lip, it was “trifling.”
In the 1950’s, as they become teenagers, they begin to grow apart, as Neicy is focusing on high school and college, and Annie becomes obsessed with tracking down the mother who abandoned her. She obtains her mother’s last known address in Memphis and takes off one night with two local boys. Both women are deeply insecure and searching for mother figures in their lives. Annie finds it in Lulabelle, a woman who runs a brothel, while Neicy finds it in one of the Spelman alumni, a woman who sees herself in Neicy and takes her into her family.
This novel is about the people who choose to take care of us, and the family we find along the way. It’s also about friendships and loyalty, and the different paths we take. What struck me about this story was how different Annie and Neicy are, and how easy it would be for them to move away from each other, given the different challenges in their lives. Both characters are frustrating at times, but in completely understandable ways. For example, everyone tells Annie to give up looking for her mother, that she won’t be happy if she finds her. And even when the search threatens Annie’s job and her relationship, she can’t stop. The need for some kind of closure with her mother is too strong.
The book is set in the time of the civil rights movement, as the college students at Spelman consider whether to participate in protests like sit-ins and discuss how they can make things more just. But the ability to protest (or not) depends on financial status — Neicy’s classmates can afford to protest, while Annie and her friends are struggling just to get by. The story explores the class differences that threaten the friendship Annie and Neicy share.
The romantic relationships in the book are well developed, and I really appreciated that the characters are not perfect but also not villains. Bobo is caring and supportive until he can’t be anymore, and then he’s at least honest. Franklin could easily have been written as a one-note character but instead he really sees Neicy for the struggles she’s having, and is the first to have difficult, honest conversations. The focus of this story is on female sisterhood and mother-daughter relationships, but the romantic relationships in this book shine as well.
There’s so much to this book, I’m still thinking about it. If I have a criticism, it’s that I sometimes had trouble warming to Annie, who I found childish at times. I related more to Neicy, as she’s more straight-laced, a rule-follower. Still, Jones is a must-read author for me and I definitely recommend this one.
Note: I received an advanced review copy of this book from NetGalley and publisher Knopf. This book was published February 24, 2026.
