THE DAYS OF AFREKETE

Award-winning writer Solomon took inspiration from Virginia Woolf's MRS. DALLOWAY and Toni Morrison's SULA for her second novel, which follows a woman through the course of a day as she prepares for a dinner party. Karen Chilton narrates in warm, mellow tones as we meet Liselle, who is navigating the complexities of being an upper-class Black woman with a white husband. Worry leads her to reexamine the choices and accommodations she has made, and to revisit the joy of being a young college student in love with Selena, another Black woman. Although the male and female voices aren't strongly differentiated, which can be confusing in conversations, Chilton creates vibrant characterizations that sustain the listener's involvement in the story through to the surprise ending. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2022]