I loved the last book I read by Perkins-Valdez, Take My Hand, so I jumped at the chance to preview her newest book. I wasn’t disappointed. Like Take My Hand, this book shines a light on fascinating history that would otherwise go unnoticed by most of us. It’s exactly the kind of historical fiction I like, with great attention to detail, rich characters and an interesting, largely true story.
In this book, Nikki, in her forties, is a struggling DC realtor who is concerned about her daughter’s lack of direction. Nikki is asked to visit her estranged grandmother (Mother Rita) in Henderson County, North Carolina. Rita has something she needs help with, and Nikki is desperate to find out why her mother and grandmother aren’t speaking to each other. She thinks resolving some of her family’s issues might help them all.
Rita wants to make sure Nikki understands the importance of the land she lives on, which was once called the Kingdom of the Happy Land. It was founded by a group of former slaves fleeing the violence of the Klan in South Carolina. They fled to a remote mountain, befriended the white Widow Davis who owned most of the land in the area, and created a community where they worked the land for the benefit of their community. They called it a kingdom based on the passed-down stories of life in Africa. William Montgomery, with his brother Robert, led the people to the area and became their King. He married Luella Bobo (Rita’s great great grandmother) who became their Queen. After being enslaved and facing violence and terrorism, they just want to be left alone, to support themselves and determine their own fates.
Perkins-Valdez tells this story through Luella’s eyes as well as Nikki’s, who begins researching her family history and develops a connection to the land. I don’t always like dual timeline stories, because often one of the stories isn’t well-developed or just feels like a framing device. In this book, while the history of the past certainly impacts the present, the family in present-day is facing a new issue. Rita is facing a challenge to her ownership of her family’s land, despite her family living on this land for generations, due to heirs’ property laws. This occurs when property is transferred to multiple family members as “tenants in common”, often without a will. This leaves the heirs without clear title and the property is vulnerable to being sold to predatory developers. This issue tends to impact black, indigenous and poor families, who are unable (or unwilling) to obtain legal services.
Throughout this novel, Perkins-Valdez weaves a storyline that shows us how hard it has been for black people in the U.S. to maintain property, and the many different ways they’ve been cheated out of property they fought so hard for.
Another book on heirs’ property and its economic impacts is Long After We Are Gone by Terah Shelton Harris, which also plays on the themes of kingship and family ties. I didn’t like how violent this book was, but its story is an important one.
Nikki is a well-developed character who grows significantly over the course of the book, and I love the idea that learning about her ancestors inspires her to challenge herself. Nikki was being pulled by not one or two generations, but three. She tries to accommodate everyone but can’t possibly succeed, in this family of stubborn women. They love each other but that love isn’t easy. I think middle-aged main characters are unusual in fiction. I see a lot of protagonists in their late twenties and lately I’ve seen more elderly main characters, but women in their forties and fifties don’t seem common in fiction.
I step forward, away from Mama, as if to step into my new self once more. I have been making these moves over and over again for the past year. I am now forty years old, and I’m learning new things about myself each day. I had a late start, but there is time to make it up.
One of my criteria for judging a book is whether the characters are all bad or all good. I particularly noticed that the men in this book were complicated and neither saints nor villains. Brothers Robert and William certainly have their share of issues but their treatment of Luella is understandable, and she’s not perfect either. Nikki has an ex-husband who is supportive of her and involved in their daughter’s life.
You can find out more about Perkins-Valdez here; I plan on reading everything in her backlist. I just learned that she’s a local author, teaching at American University, so maybe I can connect with her. Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Berkley Press for the advanced review copy. This book published April 8, 2025.