The Situation: It is 2008, and Ruth is celebrating Obama winning the presidential race in the Chicago townhouse she shares with her husband, Xavier. Having come from the humble small town of Ganton, Indiana, Ruth cannot help but marvel at the life she now lives. Not only was she able to escape her small town and become an Ivy League-educated black engineer, but she is also married to a PepsiCo marketing executive, her country just elected its first black president, and everything in her and Xavier's life is primed and ready for them to start a family. Ruth suspects she would be more on board with this plan if she didn't already have a son, one that her husband knows nothing about. In 1998, when Ruth was 17, she gave birth to a baby boy that she quickly gave up for adoption. Once she left for Yale, she never looked back, but often wonders about the small body she held in her arms for only a few minutes. And when she finally tells Xavier her long-held secret, a rift forms between them, and Ruth decides it may be time to find the son she was so quick to give up.
The Problem: Ruth has not stepped foot in Ganton since her wedding to Xavier four years ago, and things are even more desperate than she remembered. The recession has hit the small town hard, and the institutions that employed many of the residents are now boarded up. While Ruth may have returned to find her son, she has no information to go on and is not sure where to start. Two people who know everything about the quick adoption are her grandmother and her brother Eli, and neither are interested in talking. On that day 17 years ago, her grandmother insisted that what Ruth was doing was for the best, and that the less she knew the better. It is while looking for answers on her own that Ruth comes across Midnight, a small white boy who earned his nickname from the kids at school who think he wants to be black. Ruth and Midnight are drawn to each other, but as their lives and families intersect, secrets that have stayed hidden for 11 years are brought to light.
Genre, Themes, History: The is a fiction book that is set mostly in late 2008, between the presidential election, and New Year's Day 2009. At the center is Ruth, a black woman in her late 20s, that some would describe as "bougie." She admits to leaving behind both her family and the place she grew up, not making much of an effort to call home, much less visit. She is proud of her accomplishments, and not visiting Ganton also means not having to face her painful past and the decisions she made. Then there is Midnight, the 11 year-old boy who is the grandson of a family friend, and is clearly looking for the attention and affection he cannot get at home. With an adult black female, and a young white boy as the anchors, the book explores the effect of the 2008 economic crash, specifically on small towns that depend on specific industries to keep its residents afloat. And then there are the racial tensions of a town where everyone is struggling, and both sides are waiting to see what the new president can do.
My Verdict: There is something oddly comforting about the way the beginning of this book is written. It starts out in Chicago, with both Ruth and Xavier, and the reader is getting know them, as well as Ruth's past. The comfort continues once Ruth makes it to Ganton and Midnight enters the picture, but somewhere, that sense of support gets drained away, until the story becomes uncomfortable, almost jarring. Even at its conclusion, the story feels awkward and unsettled, and maybe it is supposed to. Bringing Ruth and Midnight together on this quest to learn more about Ruth's son works well, as the reader gets to see how two people on the opposite sides of almost every spectrum operate. The exploration of the race and class divide in small town Ganton is thorough, and Johnson leaves no stone unturned, but it also feels forced and heavy-handed in places.
Favorite Moment: There is a good amount of scenes the center around food in this book, whether it involves ordering it, preparing it, or just eating it. For me, the idea of a group of people sitting around a table covered in homemade dishes signifies comfort. However, there is one dinner scene that fits that picture, but it is clear that "comfort" is not the word to describe it, well before anything even starts to go wrong.
Favorite Character: It is an even race between Ruth's best friend Natasha, and Midnight's grandmother Lena. Both are fiercely loyal to the people in their lives, but they also are not afraid to speak the truth to someone who needs to hear it.
Recommended Reading: I recommend This Close to Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith.
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