Trading Dreams at Midnight : A Novel
Author(s): Diane McKinney-Whetstone
From the author of Blues Dancing and Tumbling—a writer who “ought to be classified among the best of all contemporary fiction writers period” (Detroit Free Press)—comes a riveting novel about the desire for redemption and rebirth
Moving across moments in time, Trading Dreams tells the story of a woman and the grandmother she is deeply connected by love and terrible pain.
For years, 33-year-old Neena has waged a relentless search for Freeda, the mother who abandoned her 20 years ago. Neena supports herself by blackmailing married men, but when a stong goes wrong, she finds herself on the run, back to her younger sister, Tish, in Philadelphia. But returning brings terrible grief—and unexpected hope as Neena learns to face the past, her grandmother, and herself.
A settled church lady and gifted seamstress, Nan is devoted to her granddaughter, Tish, who is soon to become a mother herself. A vibrant, passionate woman, Nan worries that in some way she caused her daughter Freeda’s instability. Neena’s returning holds unexpected consequences for Nan, too, and eventually she must confront her denial and fears—about the past and the future.
In a style that has been characterized as “accessible Toni Morrison,” and “literary Terry McMillan,” Diane McKinney-Whetstone has crafted another powerful story of love, loss, community, and healing that captures what it means to be human.
Review(s):
“Diane McKinney-Whetstone finds a way to connect with her characters—and makes us do the same. . . . The story takes several surprising twists. . . . In McKinney-Whetstone’s orbit, characters evolve in painful and poignant ways.”
“A compelling story. . . . In evocative prose, she re-creates the world of 1940s and 1950s Philadelphia with passionate emotion in a moving novel of love, loss, redemption, and healing.”
“Recalls community unity. . . . Vividly drawn characters set in her hometown of Philadelphia. . . . Recreates the world of 1940s and ‘50s Philadelphia. . . . McKinney-Whetstone’s stories provide a compelling flashback to a not-so-long-ago past.”
“Offers up both wrenching and sweet truths that feel familiar to any reader, in a series of uncloying, unpredictable plotlines. The result is a book that feels honest, filled with people you want to keep reading about.”
“McKinney-Whetstone weaves an intricate tapestry of love, pain and memory. . . . Philly is as much a character as the women. . . . Neena’s dire straits are nicely handled and provide a pretty sharp hook.”
“Once again McKinney-Whetstone writes with empathy, compassion, and discernment. . . . Raw pain is described with devastating accuracy. . . . A beautifully written and poignant work about the power and limitations of family love.”
“A smart, careful writer . . . with abundant style and irresistible charm.”
“McKinney-Whestone is masterful as rendering the spaces between people, giving to the air that separates them a taste, a texture, a soul.”
“Captivating.”
“Publishers are missing the readers who fueled the early ‘90s African-American literary boom that propelled novels by Terry McMillan, Alice Walker and Toni Morrison onto the bestseller lists and ushered in new, exciting authors like Diane McKinney-Whetstone.”
ISBN: 9780060555948