Wow, this book had a lot of hype and there were so many good things:
Fantastically crafted characters with overlapping storylines, beautiful descriptive writing and trauma that left you in tears. McBride’s voice is unique and he captures religious, class and race tensions eloquently, leaving you both shocked yet also able to imagine this whole novel being a true story. Yet, I was bored for at least 50% of the book. It felt like there was so much character development that nothing really happened for the plot, then a lot happened VERY quickly. My three stars are based on the outstanding writing and the web of connection and love McBride weaves among (the several) main characters. McBride crafts a sense of community among the Jewish and African American residents of Chicken Hill and the power and interdependence of this relationship is a core theme to the novel. Two distinct communities coming together for a common goal.
The Heaven and Earth Grocery store sits in the heart of Chicken Hill an eclectic neighborhood in Pottstown, PA. The beloved Jewish owner of the store Chona helps to care for the recently orphaned African American Dodo, nephew of the well respected Nate. The story unfolds from there and we meet many other members of Chicken Hill. We follow Chona her husband Moshe, Nate and his wife Addie and Dodo through friendship, heartbreak, discrimination, fear and a plot twist that allowed for a satisfying ending.
While I struggled to get through this book, I think the quality of James McBride’s written leaves me open to his other books and I can see how this book would appeal to many.
As an aside the 1930s Jazz references were a real treat and inspired me to learn more about the life Chick Webb.
