Shifting Through Neutral
Author(s): Bridgett M. Davis
Not yet a woman yet more than a little girl, Rae Dodson is caught up in her family's drama. Her hip older sister, Kimmie, whom her mother favors, has moved from New Orleans to join them in Detroit, a city that moves as if in synch with the Stevie Wonder tunes that play giddily from new automobiles fresh off the factory lots. Her bid whist–playing mother is as nervous as ever, and her father's chronic migraines seem less responsive to medication. And while they all occupy the same house, they might as well be living separate lives. When the tenuous peace finally breaks, Rae must decide where her loyalties lie: should she choose her emotionally distant mother, whom she adores, or her affectionate but needy father? Rae does choose and launches into a rich, loving relationship with her dad, for whom she shows a fierce, undying loyalty. But as she matures, she must find a way amid her own budding sexuality to be both Daddy's girl and her own woman.
Review(s):
“Lyrical...addictive...haunting. This beautiful coming-of-age story and will assuredly capture many hearts.”
“Wonderful....In this book...there is...a poignancy that cuts incisively through the tender tissue of family love.”
“Shifting Through Neutral is a beautifully rendered story by a writer to watch.”
“A vibrant...journey through a young woman’s coming-of-age....Hop in—this novel is a ride well worth taking.
“A beautifully rendered first novel that captures the complications of children caught between discontented parents with secret lives.”
“A tender telling that made me long for my own father.”
“Richly detailed and intimate…Davis eloquently paints a picture seldom seen: the abiding affection black fathers have for their children.”
“The author’s prose is poignant, like a strong left hook...sad, but endearing...written with precision and skill.”
ISBN: 9780060572501