Kin by Tayari Jones

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I’m not even being hyperbolic when I say this is the best book emhlabeni (this year).

Kin is a thoughtfully written narrative that follows the lives of Annie and Vernice (Niecy) as they navigate through their lives as black children turned young adults, moving into adulthood in 1950s/60s America. The book is one of friendship, which is precisely what God brought us onto this earth for, if you ask me. Niecy herself, in convincing Annie that there is a God, uses the fact that they were placed in the same cradle as kids as evidence. 


Annie and Niecy follow completely different paths after leaving their hometown but their bond, thicker than blood, holds them together no matter how far apart. In one of her letters, Niecy apologises for sharing Annie’s business but explains that she simply could not explain who she was without explaining who Niecy was and that’s — KIN!!!!


One of my favourite things about Kin is the unwavering nature of all the characters, no matter the consequence. I mean, even when they were blatantly wrong, I appreciated that each character, although developed, held the same beliefs to the last page. Understanding towards others of their kin might have been fuller by the end, but the essence of their character remained the same and I appreciated that. 


Even the peripheral characters in all of this upheld the concept of ubuntu and loved each other in the ways they best understood to protect each other and that, for me, is truly Kin.


5🌟

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