If I did a round-up of books published throughout the year whose covers I cannot get enough of, Time's Undoing by Cheryl A. Head would be on that list. The title is also engaging, and led me to read the equally mysterious premise. A young journalist decides it is time to investigate the murder of her great-grandfather nine decades ago, leading to information that uncovers more than just a few family secrets.
The Situation: It is 2019, and Meghan McKenzie is the youngest reporter at the Detroit Free Press. She has always heard stories about her great-grandfather, including the one of his mysterious and brutal murder. After gathering the courage to pitch the idea of linking her great-grandfather's story with that of current events and the Black Lives Matter movement, Meghan is headed to Birmingham, Alabama, the city where Robert Lee Harrington was killed. In 1929, Robert has just moved to the place that has been nicknamed 'Magic City' due to to the boom of the steel industry, bringing along with him his young and pregnant wife and their daughter. Not only is Robert following the work, but he is also leaving trouble behind him in Florida. He knows he is a great carpenter, but holding down a job is not the only thing a black man has to worry about in early 20th century America.
The Problem: Robert could easily blame his fancy car for the reason why he seems to always attract the wrong kind of attention, but he also knows he has a temper, and can never seem to back down from a conflict. However, he has a pregnant wife and a young daughter to think about, so working and caring for them needs to be his focus. In 2019, Meghan is getting close to revealing the truth about what happened to her great-grandfather, but other truths are being revealed, and not only about Birmingham's past. She is determined to continue until she finds what she is looking for, even though she is sure she is being followed, and it is apparent that some of the city's residents would prefer that this northern reporter would leave their town and its history alone.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a historical fiction novel where the story takes place in Birmingham, both in 1929 and 2019. In 1929, Robert tells his story of working as a skilled carpenter in order to provide for his growing family. In 2019, Meghan is an ambitious journalist looking for answers concerning the death of her great-grandfather, both for herself, and her still-living grandmother. As Meghan uncovers the clues and finds more information, about both the incident and Birmingham's history, a new intersecting story is revealed from Robert's story. Meghan may be looking to link what happened then to what is still happening now, but she also manages to uncover some secrets that many want to stay hidden. There are corrupt police officers, as well as generational trauma and intricate conspiracies, as well as a host of characters that Meghan will encounter during her research.
My Verdict: For starters, the story and plot are strong and incredibly interesting. The narratives that come out of both 1929 and 2019 should hold readers' attention, and each new clue or piece of information certainly added to the story and helped move everything forward at a decent pace. The overall structure of the story was put together well, but if I had any issue with the book, it would perhaps be with the emotions of the characters, and some of the dialogue. When it was expressed that a character - usually Meghan - was experiencing a strong emotion of any kind, I had a difficult time believing it. The words on the page would say what was happening, but it rarely felt right. I suppose I would say it was like reading fiction that was written as a newspaper article. It simply did not line up with the fantastic plot and the spectacular events that were happening on the page.
Favorite Moment: Food is brought up quite a bit in this book, both home-cooked and at some pretty incredible restaurants, so schedule your reading times appropriately.
Favorite Character: Kristen is a librarian in Birmingham that helps Meghan a great deal with her research, often having to sacrifice something as she does.
Recommended Reading: I recommend Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson. I have lost count by now how many times I have recommended this book at the end of a blog post, and frankly, this probably will not be the last time.
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