Oneworld Publications Silver Sparrow: From the Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction, 2019

Ce roman méritait les 5 étoiles jusqu'à la fin de la première partie. Tayari Jones nous scotch véritablement dés la phrase d'ouverture du roman. Le récit de Dana la fille illégitime est émouvant et captivant à la fois. à travers ses yeux nous apprenons à connaitre les autres personnage et apprécier grâce à cela sa force de caractère et à lui pardonner ses quelques erreurs de jugement. La deuxième partie était moins intense, j'ai eu du mal à m’apitoyer sur le sort de Chaurisse et par moment j'ai même pensé que l'auteur ne voulait aucunement que l'on s'attache à cette fille gâtée qui ne mesure vraiment pas l'étendue de ses bénédictions. Dana malgré tout ce dont elle est privé demeure une battante, rien ne semble la mettre à terre même pas la lâcheté de son géniteur que j'ai fini par détester au final. C'est la fin du récit qui lui a couté son étoile, elle est trop brusque, précipitée, pas travaillé. Je n'avais pas d'attente particulière mais j'aurais aimée que Dana nous parle d'avantage à la fin.

One of my favourite authors and one of my favourite books.

What does the "other woman" represent in the nightmares of women everywhere?. The mere thought of an "other woman" existing is terrifying, horrifying, humiliating and for many, beyond imagination. What if the "other woman" had a child? What if she lived in the same town and neighborhood? What if the "other woman" was not a passing fancy, but existed in the husband's life for decades - visiting her for dinner, giving her money to support herself. What if the husband's friends and family knew about her? Is the "other woman" to blame? Is the child? How does the child of an "other woman" grow up emotionally healthy when she knows she is living in a shadow? When she knows that she is a secret? What kind of man, husband, father would live this sort of double life? And which family would he choose if his secret was exposed. Silver Sparrow explores the very complicated walls and paths drawn around the hidden life that a bigamist lives and that of his secret second wife and their child. The main portion of the story takes place during the 1980s in Atlanta, and is told from two points of view. The book begins with Dana, the bigamist's secret daughter. The unfolding of the story with Dana's point of view, immediately put Dana as the sympathetic character. And as Dana told the story, I almost was able to believe that the father may have been doing somewhat right by her. Ms. Jones is such a skillful writer, in that she allowed me to buy completely into their life. The second half of the book focuses on Chaurisse, who is also a daughter of the bigamist's, but by his first marriage - and thus his public relationship. From the beginning of Chaurisse's point of view, it becomes clear that what Chaurisse has is a true father and a much truer family experience.; poor Dana has the cast-offs. The contrast between each girl's life becomes starker as the story unfolds. We learn that, incredibly, both Dana and her mother are invested in protecting the bigamist's secret; they are invested in protecting their life in the shadows. I saw incredibly, because at some point shouldn't they become frustrated with being pushed to the side? At some point will they have a need to bring it to light? And how does the "first wife" not guess about the duplicity? Does she not wonder why her husband is gone every single Wednesday? Does she not notice that money is missing? Both wives have their own careers and truly are able to support themselves and their daughters. They are not in a situation where they are dependent on their man - the bigamist - to support them financially. So where does the emotional dependence come from? Why stay? The story does not explore these points directly asked, but they are explored implicitly. Dana and Chaurisse are the same age, however both girls do not possess the same level of knowledge about each other or about their father. Dana and her mother know all about Chaurisse and her mother; they live in their shadow. Every choice and step that Dana and her mother take is tempered by whether Chaurisse and her mother will be there or choose to do something similar. Dana is truly a "second". Chaurisse and her mother have no idea that Dana exists. But Chaurisse "gets" her father on a daily basis, she lives with him and has the intimacy of a father-daughter relationship. Dana does not have any of this. Her father, while a weekly visitor, is a mystery and almost an intangible. Through the telling of the story by Dana and Chaurisse, readers are also taken back in history and treated to a story telling of the adults' lives as children. The characters in Silver Sparrow are richly developed, not only Dana and Chaurisse, but also the ancillary characters that assist in creating (and maintaining!) this situation - the mothers, the father, and the father's best friend. Through the interplay of the various characters, readers are pulled into this beautifully told story. And let me tell you, it is an entertaining immersion, you will not regret it, but it is painful as well. There are some truly heartbreaking scenes where the characters hurt each other - hurt in a deep emotional way. Hurt in a way that as a reader, I did not know how they could survive such pain. This is a wonderful story, a beautiful book and I highly recommend it!

Set in Atlanta during the 1980s, a man has two daughters and two wives - only one mother and daughter know about the other. Told is two halves, firstly from the perspective of Dana who opens the novel by describing what it’s like to be given second pick of everything, and what it feels like to grow up knowing your father hides his relationship with you and to you from the rest of the world. Dana and her mother Gwendolin, are sharp and smart characters who I came to love, and the narrative grows to show how both women evolve. But every woman in Silver Sparrow has their battle with desires, expectations and societal constructs. The period of the book provides valuable insight into life for male and female black Americans not long after desegregation, who are not only still fighting against inequality but also against their social structure. From fake designer bags and fur coats to sex and education, Tayari Jones tells a compelling story about society and the complexities growing up. Whether it be the reflections of grown woman as young mother forced into a marriage and removed from education or a girl who isn’t invited to a birthday party, Jones dissects the many facets of girl and womanhood. - Naturally, I had a favourite mother and daughter, but I felt empathy for all the characters and their experience, including the bigamist father. It’s a story of hurt and how experiences will shape who a person becomes to be, but Jones doesn’t pick sides and every character is given their moment to create an impactful story. Having also read An American Marriage, I love Jones’ writing no matter whether or not I like the characters. The skill of her writing lies in her ability to capture human experiences in truthful and fair ways without romanticising the narrative.

A polygamy novel of two African American teenage girls.