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The Kindest Lie
A promise could betray you.
It’s 2008, and the inauguration of President Barack Obama ushers in a new kind of hope. In Chicago, Ruth Tuttle, an Ivy-League educated Black engineer, is married to a kind and successful man. He’s eager to start a family, but Ruth is uncertain. She has never gotten over the baby she gave birth to—and was forced to leave behind—when she was a teenager. She had promised her family she’d never look back, but Ruth knows that to move forward, she must make peace with the past.
Returning home, Ruth discovers the Indiana factory town of her youth is plagued by unemployment, racism, and despair. As she begins digging into the past, she unexpectedly befriends Midnight, a young white boy who is also adrift and looking for connection. Just as Ruth is about to uncover a burning secret her family desperately wants to keep hidden, a traumatic incident strains the town’s already searing racial tensions, sending Ruth and Midnight on a collision course that could upend both their lives.
Powerful and revealing, The Kindest Lie captures the heartbreaking divide between Black and white communities and offers both an unflinching view of motherhood in contemporary America and the never-ending quest to achieve the American Dream.
It’s 2008, and the inauguration of President Barack Obama ushers in a new kind of hope. In Chicago, Ruth Tuttle, an Ivy-League educated Black engineer, is married to a kind and successful man. He’s eager to start a family, but Ruth is uncertain. She has never gotten over the baby she gave birth to—and was forced to leave behind—when she was a teenager. She had promised her family she’d never look back, but Ruth knows that to move forward, she must make peace with the past.
Returning home, Ruth discovers the Indiana factory town of her youth is plagued by unemployment, racism, and despair. As she begins digging into the past, she unexpectedly befriends Midnight, a young white boy who is also adrift and looking for connection. Just as Ruth is about to uncover a burning secret her family desperately wants to keep hidden, a traumatic incident strains the town’s already searing racial tensions, sending Ruth and Midnight on a collision course that could upend both their lives.
Powerful and revealing, The Kindest Lie captures the heartbreaking divide between Black and white communities and offers both an unflinching view of motherhood in contemporary America and the never-ending quest to achieve the American Dream.
322 pages, Paperback
First published February 2, 2021
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December 8, 2023
Here is my one-minute spoiler-free video review: https://youtu.be/A1J8N81TTyQ
The year is 2008. Obama has been recently elected, and hope is in the air. We meet Ruth Tuttle who is a black professional woman living in Chicago married to a kind man named Xavier. The couple is exploring expanding their family, but Ruth is haunted by her past--She was forced to give up her baby as a teenager. She returns to her home state of Indiana to reconcile with her past. However, she finds the city gripped by high racial tension and suffering through the economic recession.
I loved this book because:
1) Captured the nostalgia and hope of the Obama administration and the subsequent economic recession. As someone who lived in the heart of the auto industry at the very time period in the book, the author perfectly nailed the sentiments of the time.
2) Imperfect, complex characters. Her characters are not 100% good or 100% bad and have more depth to them.
3) This book raised an important topic – Adoption/Motherhood. If you walk into a Hallmark card on Mother's Day, the cards all seem to be about how every mom bakes cookies, takes kids to practice, and snuggles. As I said in point 2), the world has complex people. Not every mother is a traditional mother. However, this doesn't mean that they aren't or should not be valued. Sometimes the best thing to do for a child is to let them go to another family who can provide stability, a warm and loving home, food, clothes, health care, and a quality education. Someone who will be able to get the kids up each morning and off to school. There are moms (and also dads) that just cannot meet the needs of their children (could be mental health, addiction, etc). It might be the most loving thing to allow someone else to step in and provide for the child. This should be celebrated. There should be Hallmark cards about that.
4) Deeply moving
Things I didn’t like:
1) Without getting too spoilery, I will say I did not like how one character was portrayed. If you want to know exactly which one just DM me, and I will let you know and why.
2) The pacing was off. This was an adoption story so what do you think is going to happen? About 2/3 of the book in, I wanted to get to the ultimate conclusion a little bit faster.
Overall, a very solid book. I smile thinking of reading this book again.
On a closing note, I did contact the author, and there are no plans for a sequel at this time.
2024 Reading Schedule
Jan Middlemarch
Feb The Grapes of Wrath
Mar Oliver Twist
Apr Madame Bovary
May A Clockwork Orange
Jun Possession
Jul The Folk of the Faraway Tree Collection
Aug Crime and Punishment
Sep Heart of Darkness
Oct Moby-Dick
Nov Far From the Madding Crowd
Dec A Tale of Two Cities
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta
The year is 2008. Obama has been recently elected, and hope is in the air. We meet Ruth Tuttle who is a black professional woman living in Chicago married to a kind man named Xavier. The couple is exploring expanding their family, but Ruth is haunted by her past--She was forced to give up her baby as a teenager. She returns to her home state of Indiana to reconcile with her past. However, she finds the city gripped by high racial tension and suffering through the economic recession.
I loved this book because:
1) Captured the nostalgia and hope of the Obama administration and the subsequent economic recession. As someone who lived in the heart of the auto industry at the very time period in the book, the author perfectly nailed the sentiments of the time.
2) Imperfect, complex characters. Her characters are not 100% good or 100% bad and have more depth to them.
3) This book raised an important topic – Adoption/Motherhood. If you walk into a Hallmark card on Mother's Day, the cards all seem to be about how every mom bakes cookies, takes kids to practice, and snuggles. As I said in point 2), the world has complex people. Not every mother is a traditional mother. However, this doesn't mean that they aren't or should not be valued. Sometimes the best thing to do for a child is to let them go to another family who can provide stability, a warm and loving home, food, clothes, health care, and a quality education. Someone who will be able to get the kids up each morning and off to school. There are moms (and also dads) that just cannot meet the needs of their children (could be mental health, addiction, etc). It might be the most loving thing to allow someone else to step in and provide for the child. This should be celebrated. There should be Hallmark cards about that.
4) Deeply moving
Things I didn’t like:
1) Without getting too spoilery, I will say I did not like how one character was portrayed. If you want to know exactly which one just DM me, and I will let you know and why.
2) The pacing was off. This was an adoption story so what do you think is going to happen? About 2/3 of the book in, I wanted to get to the ultimate conclusion a little bit faster.
Overall, a very solid book. I smile thinking of reading this book again.
On a closing note, I did contact the author, and there are no plans for a sequel at this time.
2024 Reading Schedule
Jan Middlemarch
Feb The Grapes of Wrath
Mar Oliver Twist
Apr Madame Bovary
May A Clockwork Orange
Jun Possession
Jul The Folk of the Faraway Tree Collection
Aug Crime and Punishment
Sep Heart of Darkness
Oct Moby-Dick
Nov Far From the Madding Crowd
Dec A Tale of Two Cities
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta
February 23, 2021
For most of this book, I intended to give it a 3/5 rating - a bit meh, but with a good start. By the end, I was reading it just to be finished with it, and in m opinion it just wasn't salvageable. "The Kindest Lie" had a good plot concept, and great themes to work with, but it consistently underdelivered.
Ruth was unsympathetic to a fault. She was selfish, judgmental, and inexplicably naive, given the fact that she was supposed to be this highly educated, tough woman who had overcome quite a bit, had faced plenty of racial injustice, and was demanding her rightful place in the world - then why was she so flat? So unable to see any kind of nuance? So completely lackluster? Her abject shock at her son's adoption being "off the books" was ludicrous, and she just came off as unfathomably stupid. That was only one of the many moments that had me thinking -- how is she so dense? Her attitude towards her sister in law was outright infuriating - how dare she preach that Cassie stand by her man when Ruth immaturely spends most of the book refusing to confront or talk to her own husband who, unlike Eli Tuttle, bears no fault in their rift?? Ruth goes from 11 years of (at least, it's implied) not thinking about her son to this one-track mind attitude of "I need to find MY son and make sure he's being raised by GOOD people" - it's incongruous and, frankly, gets more and more offensive throughout the book. The author tries repeatedly to make Ruth sympathetic or to paint her as loving up until and even after the moment where she cruelly injects herself to a young boy's life and makes his entire terrifying ordeal all about her.
Of Ruth's husband, Xavier - he existed for no reason. He was a pointless character who was a weird amalgam of "good man" stereotypes, had no substance, and served as an (unconvincing) push for Ruth to go back home.
So much of this book's driving plot was just absurd. The fact that we were supposed to believe in a tiny, close knit town, Ruth's teenage pregnancy was hidden so well that her best friend never knew? Despite the fact, of course, that Ruth is constantly described as so skinny and bony that a "big t-shirt" wouldn't hide a damn thing. And despite all the hush-hush secrecy of a literal home birth, a newborn apparently randomly appearing with a childless family, no paperwork, some shady Church dealings -- Ruth easily deduces who "her son" is because he has a giant, convenient birth mark on his face.
The book just became more and more of a soapy cringe-fest, page after page. It's written badly - the dialogue sounds like platitudes taken from a college freshman's primer on race/class theory. The narrative descriptions are actually mostly wonderful, but the sin of "telling, rather than showing," is so present here that it's difficult to overlook. Take a shot every time Obama is mentioned for no other reason than to remind the reader that it's 2008, and the characters are Black. Take a shot every time the phrase "but it was the 90s, then" or some variation pops up. Take a shot every time Midnight, who has grown up in a town clearly constantly confronting racial tensions, has no fucking clue what's going on.
The gang subplot was laughable, and felt very much like an author raised in Chicago having no idea what small time life is like, and thus trying to make it relatable to someone raised in the city, to a topic she could speak on. The final confrontation involving Midnight, Corey, and the police was so histrionic I almost quit the book - I do NOT doubt the ignorance and malice of white men and young white boys, but given Midnight's characterization up to that point, I found that act INTENSELY difficult to believe, and instead a very cheap plot device.
The lack of emotion throughout this book, too, was just...odd. In a story that should have been a multifaceted, compelling, nuanced look at race, class, economic disaster, and motherhood in America, this was a clunky, weakly written ride through very (excuse the idiom) Black and White narratives - even in the literal sense, as the tone of the book kept harping on "This happened and Ruth was BLACK" and "This happened and Midnight was WHITE" - it wasn't a useful storytelling narrative.
I mean, it's disappointing, because you've got Angie Thomas out here writing riveting, hard-hitting YA novels that deal with these topics, and you've got a book like Jacqueline Woodsen's "Red at the Bone" that does the same sort of thing so completely beautifully, and then ... there's this.
There were no kind lies in this novel. And there weren't really any good points made, either.
Ruth was unsympathetic to a fault. She was selfish, judgmental, and inexplicably naive, given the fact that she was supposed to be this highly educated, tough woman who had overcome quite a bit, had faced plenty of racial injustice, and was demanding her rightful place in the world - then why was she so flat? So unable to see any kind of nuance? So completely lackluster? Her abject shock at her son's adoption being "off the books" was ludicrous, and she just came off as unfathomably stupid. That was only one of the many moments that had me thinking -- how is she so dense? Her attitude towards her sister in law was outright infuriating - how dare she preach that Cassie stand by her man when Ruth immaturely spends most of the book refusing to confront or talk to her own husband who, unlike Eli Tuttle, bears no fault in their rift?? Ruth goes from 11 years of (at least, it's implied) not thinking about her son to this one-track mind attitude of "I need to find MY son and make sure he's being raised by GOOD people" - it's incongruous and, frankly, gets more and more offensive throughout the book. The author tries repeatedly to make Ruth sympathetic or to paint her as loving up until and even after the moment where she cruelly injects herself to a young boy's life and makes his entire terrifying ordeal all about her.
Of Ruth's husband, Xavier - he existed for no reason. He was a pointless character who was a weird amalgam of "good man" stereotypes, had no substance, and served as an (unconvincing) push for Ruth to go back home.
So much of this book's driving plot was just absurd. The fact that we were supposed to believe in a tiny, close knit town, Ruth's teenage pregnancy was hidden so well that her best friend never knew? Despite the fact, of course, that Ruth is constantly described as so skinny and bony that a "big t-shirt" wouldn't hide a damn thing. And despite all the hush-hush secrecy of a literal home birth, a newborn apparently randomly appearing with a childless family, no paperwork, some shady Church dealings -- Ruth easily deduces who "her son" is because he has a giant, convenient birth mark on his face.
The book just became more and more of a soapy cringe-fest, page after page. It's written badly - the dialogue sounds like platitudes taken from a college freshman's primer on race/class theory. The narrative descriptions are actually mostly wonderful, but the sin of "telling, rather than showing," is so present here that it's difficult to overlook. Take a shot every time Obama is mentioned for no other reason than to remind the reader that it's 2008, and the characters are Black. Take a shot every time the phrase "but it was the 90s, then" or some variation pops up. Take a shot every time Midnight, who has grown up in a town clearly constantly confronting racial tensions, has no fucking clue what's going on.
The gang subplot was laughable, and felt very much like an author raised in Chicago having no idea what small time life is like, and thus trying to make it relatable to someone raised in the city, to a topic she could speak on. The final confrontation involving Midnight, Corey, and the police was so histrionic I almost quit the book - I do NOT doubt the ignorance and malice of white men and young white boys, but given Midnight's characterization up to that point, I found that act INTENSELY difficult to believe, and instead a very cheap plot device.
The lack of emotion throughout this book, too, was just...odd. In a story that should have been a multifaceted, compelling, nuanced look at race, class, economic disaster, and motherhood in America, this was a clunky, weakly written ride through very (excuse the idiom) Black and White narratives - even in the literal sense, as the tone of the book kept harping on "This happened and Ruth was BLACK" and "This happened and Midnight was WHITE" - it wasn't a useful storytelling narrative.
I mean, it's disappointing, because you've got Angie Thomas out here writing riveting, hard-hitting YA novels that deal with these topics, and you've got a book like Jacqueline Woodsen's "Red at the Bone" that does the same sort of thing so completely beautifully, and then ... there's this.
There were no kind lies in this novel. And there weren't really any good points made, either.
September 4, 2021
So intense, so emotional and thought provoking reading! I still dry my tears! Especially at the end get read to spill your ugly tears! They will hardly stop!
The events of the book takes place in 2008: the year of the first election of Obama welcoming the changing winds of political spectrum, bringing out more hope and promising world.
Then we’re introduced to Ruth and Xavier moved their house at South Chicago, happily married, achieved most of their life goals including successful careers and now it’s time to become a family. Xavier wants a baby but Ruth always has second thoughts about her achievements, feeling the absence of something deep in her life.
Finally she comes clean to her husband and tells him how she gave her baby she had in young age and for moving forward in her life she has to learn how to make peace with her past by facing her wrongdoings and big mistakes which forces her to return back to her hometown Indiana to meet with her last living family members who still spend their lives in there.
As soon as she gets back, she sees how the people of the town got affected financially by the closing of plant, losing their livelihoods. And then she meets her grandmother and brother, finding out how they sacrifice themselves for giving her a chance to live a better life.
And her path crosses with white young boy suffers from his own deep issues named Midnight. Their brokenness and learning how to be outcast in young age help them form a special bond.
Personally I loved Midnight and he was incredibly layered and complex character such as Ruth. It was heart wrenching to read both of their POVs and it’s impossible to hold your sobs and soothe down your boiling anger to see the examples of racism, inequality between classes which is realistically told and affects you like sharp slaps against your face! It’s striking, intense, frustrating!
And at the end, an incident shakes you to the core, makes you question your beliefs, your perspective once again!
I was thinking about giving four stars but last third blew my mind away. The intensity the truthfulness, the power of writing and amazing characters earned more than that! This is fascinating debut deserves 4.5 stars rounding up to 5 heartbreaking, teenage motherhood, racism, poverty, resentments stars!
This book is not about social awareness and sensitive issues, it’s also about how hurtful and painful to keep secrets, how important being part of her family and raised in a community. It’s meaningful, sad, harsh and at last parts the words can bleed you but at the end you can heal your wounds with promising conclusion.
The events of the book takes place in 2008: the year of the first election of Obama welcoming the changing winds of political spectrum, bringing out more hope and promising world.
Then we’re introduced to Ruth and Xavier moved their house at South Chicago, happily married, achieved most of their life goals including successful careers and now it’s time to become a family. Xavier wants a baby but Ruth always has second thoughts about her achievements, feeling the absence of something deep in her life.
Finally she comes clean to her husband and tells him how she gave her baby she had in young age and for moving forward in her life she has to learn how to make peace with her past by facing her wrongdoings and big mistakes which forces her to return back to her hometown Indiana to meet with her last living family members who still spend their lives in there.
As soon as she gets back, she sees how the people of the town got affected financially by the closing of plant, losing their livelihoods. And then she meets her grandmother and brother, finding out how they sacrifice themselves for giving her a chance to live a better life.
And her path crosses with white young boy suffers from his own deep issues named Midnight. Their brokenness and learning how to be outcast in young age help them form a special bond.
Personally I loved Midnight and he was incredibly layered and complex character such as Ruth. It was heart wrenching to read both of their POVs and it’s impossible to hold your sobs and soothe down your boiling anger to see the examples of racism, inequality between classes which is realistically told and affects you like sharp slaps against your face! It’s striking, intense, frustrating!
And at the end, an incident shakes you to the core, makes you question your beliefs, your perspective once again!
I was thinking about giving four stars but last third blew my mind away. The intensity the truthfulness, the power of writing and amazing characters earned more than that! This is fascinating debut deserves 4.5 stars rounding up to 5 heartbreaking, teenage motherhood, racism, poverty, resentments stars!
This book is not about social awareness and sensitive issues, it’s also about how hurtful and painful to keep secrets, how important being part of her family and raised in a community. It’s meaningful, sad, harsh and at last parts the words can bleed you but at the end you can heal your wounds with promising conclusion.
January 18, 2021
I was impressed this debut novel managed to cover so many topics including race, social class, and motherhood to name a few. What is unique about this story is each reader might walk away with a different aspect that made the most impact. This is a book I found myself thinking about days after I finished reading it. I love when a story makes a deep impression on you.
In 2008, Ruth Tuttle, an Ivy League educated Black engineer is living in Chicago with her husband. He wants to start a family but Ruth knows she is going to have to drop a bombshell on him first. She had never told him when she was a teenager she gave birth and the baby was put up for adoption. Ruth went on to escape her poverty-stricken town, attend college, and start a career. But now she wants to revisit her past and in the process she might uncover a family secret or two. Along the way she will meet a young white boy with the nickname, Midnight.
The story is set during the time period in which Obama has just won the presidential election but has not yet taken office. So you have this interesting backdrop of so many people hopeful of change mixed in with Ruth visiting her hometown in Indiana which has businesses shutting down left and right and people struggling to get by. I've lived in the Midwest for most of my life and it was easy to get a vivid picture in my mind even though it is a fictional town. Just another thing that added richness to the story.
I will say I had a bit of lightbulb moment when I finally pieced two things together regarding the plot. I don't want to reveal too much in my review but I think it's important to mention it's a very layered story and for that reason it's worthy of a book club selection as there are so many things to discuss.
Highly recommend and I hope the author is hard at work on another novel. Would love to see where her writing talent takes her next!
I won a free advance copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway but was not obligated to post a review. All views expressed are my honest opinion.
In 2008, Ruth Tuttle, an Ivy League educated Black engineer is living in Chicago with her husband. He wants to start a family but Ruth knows she is going to have to drop a bombshell on him first. She had never told him when she was a teenager she gave birth and the baby was put up for adoption. Ruth went on to escape her poverty-stricken town, attend college, and start a career. But now she wants to revisit her past and in the process she might uncover a family secret or two. Along the way she will meet a young white boy with the nickname, Midnight.
The story is set during the time period in which Obama has just won the presidential election but has not yet taken office. So you have this interesting backdrop of so many people hopeful of change mixed in with Ruth visiting her hometown in Indiana which has businesses shutting down left and right and people struggling to get by. I've lived in the Midwest for most of my life and it was easy to get a vivid picture in my mind even though it is a fictional town. Just another thing that added richness to the story.
I will say I had a bit of lightbulb moment when I finally pieced two things together regarding the plot. I don't want to reveal too much in my review but I think it's important to mention it's a very layered story and for that reason it's worthy of a book club selection as there are so many things to discuss.
Highly recommend and I hope the author is hard at work on another novel. Would love to see where her writing talent takes her next!
I won a free advance copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway but was not obligated to post a review. All views expressed are my honest opinion.
January 20, 2022
Note: I received a free copy of this book, in exchange here is my honest review.
This was a pretty great read. ❤️ Ruth is a determined woman. It’s terribly sad that there are kids out there, like Midnight. 😢 The richest nation in the world…. and there are still kids who don’t have shoes to keep their feet warm and dry. ☹️
Thank you @goodreads @nancyjauthor and @harpercollins #goodreadsgiveaway
This was a pretty great read. ❤️ Ruth is a determined woman. It’s terribly sad that there are kids out there, like Midnight. 😢 The richest nation in the world…. and there are still kids who don’t have shoes to keep their feet warm and dry. ☹️
Thank you @goodreads @nancyjauthor and @harpercollins #goodreadsgiveaway
January 30, 2021
In The Kindest Lie it’s 2008 and Obama has just been elected President, sending a wave of hope across the country. Ruth Tuttle is a happily married Black engineer living in Chicago. Her husband Xavier is eager to start a family but Ruth can’t shake deep feelings about the son she left behind when she was just 17.
Only Ruth’s grandmother, Mama, and brother, Eli, knew about her son, who was given up for adoption. Ruth heads to her hometown in Indiana to address her unresolved feelings and find answers to burning questions she’s tried to stifle for years.
There, she observes a rundown state with poverty and racism on the rise. Ruth gets little help in her quest from Mama and Eli, who believe the past should stay in the past, and remind Ruth of the sacrifices they made for her. She meets Midnight, a young white boy who is seeking any form of connection, and eventually the 2 of them find themselves in a dangerous situation.
The Kindest Lie is an excellent debut novel, exploring race, family, class, community, and the repercussions of one decision, affecting numerous people. While there are many themes here, Nancy Johnson writes about them well, in a way that doesn’t feel like overload. I appreciate how the characters were all realistic — none of them perfect, many with secrets, yet for the most part, still likable. The story is interesting and provides a lot to think about.
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Only Ruth’s grandmother, Mama, and brother, Eli, knew about her son, who was given up for adoption. Ruth heads to her hometown in Indiana to address her unresolved feelings and find answers to burning questions she’s tried to stifle for years.
There, she observes a rundown state with poverty and racism on the rise. Ruth gets little help in her quest from Mama and Eli, who believe the past should stay in the past, and remind Ruth of the sacrifices they made for her. She meets Midnight, a young white boy who is seeking any form of connection, and eventually the 2 of them find themselves in a dangerous situation.
The Kindest Lie is an excellent debut novel, exploring race, family, class, community, and the repercussions of one decision, affecting numerous people. While there are many themes here, Nancy Johnson writes about them well, in a way that doesn’t feel like overload. I appreciate how the characters were all realistic — none of them perfect, many with secrets, yet for the most part, still likable. The story is interesting and provides a lot to think about.
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 2, 2021
Ruth and Xavier, married and living in Chicago, an upward mobile black couple, thrilled that Obama has won the Presidency. It's 2008 and they have every reason to feel hopeful. Their future looks bright until Xavier starts pushing to have a family. There is something Ruth has never told him, something in her past that threatens the stability of her psyche and their marriage.
A debut novel that confronts racial barriers, injustice, class and wealth disparity. When Ruth returns home to Indiana, hoping to find answers, she leaves her future unsettled. It will be confronting truths and leaning on family ties that may salvage what she has possibly lost.
A good start to black history month as it highlights the disparities between races, how they are seen, prejudged, enveloped in a well developed personal story. It was quite good and I look forward to more from this talented, young author.
ARC from library thing.
A debut novel that confronts racial barriers, injustice, class and wealth disparity. When Ruth returns home to Indiana, hoping to find answers, she leaves her future unsettled. It will be confronting truths and leaning on family ties that may salvage what she has possibly lost.
A good start to black history month as it highlights the disparities between races, how they are seen, prejudged, enveloped in a well developed personal story. It was quite good and I look forward to more from this talented, young author.
ARC from library thing.
November 22, 2024
This is a Women's Fiction/Literary Fiction. We follow Ruth and a teenager that goes by Midnight. There is some flash backs during Ruth's parts, but I would not call this book Historical Fiction. The middle of this book was slow moving, but I have to say once everything was revealed I understood why the middle was moving a little slow. This book is a build up to what happens at the end. I think this book will make you look at how our current Cultural treats black people. I am glad I picked up this book, and I hope one day that books like this is not needed. I am really glad I picked this book for my February book of the Month book.
May 18, 2021
Outlier here. This book has very good bones, but a there are a few issues that led to my relatively low 3-star rating. I did appreciate the thrust of the novel, which takes place in November and December 2008. Several excellent themes are addressed, including racism, poverty, abandonment, the challenges of motherhood, and what one will or won’t do for family. The story is told from two viewpoints, Ruth’s and Midnight’s. Ruth is a Black career woman whose newborn was adopted by another family in 1997. Her husband wants to start a family; Ruth is not so sure. Midnight is an 11-year-old White boy whose friends are Black.
My first criticism is that it took too long for me to want to find time to continue reading this book. I found it slow, and the characters were not pulling me in. I considered DNF’ing it several times. It wasn’t until the 40% mark that I became engaged in the story. Secondly, I found Ruth, the protagonist, to be incredibly selfish. This distanced me from her and made me less interested in her plight—never a good thing for me. Furthermore, even though this book contains some heavy issues, it wraps up quickly—much too fast in my opinion. It’s for these reasons that I can’t rate it higher than 3 stars.
Before you reject this read outright, please peruse the many 4- and 5-star reviews for this novel. Most people liked it far better than I did, and readers should make up their own minds about this one. Try it. If it doesn’t pull you in early on, you can always put it down.
My first criticism is that it took too long for me to want to find time to continue reading this book. I found it slow, and the characters were not pulling me in. I considered DNF’ing it several times. It wasn’t until the 40% mark that I became engaged in the story. Secondly, I found Ruth, the protagonist, to be incredibly selfish. This distanced me from her and made me less interested in her plight—never a good thing for me. Furthermore, even though this book contains some heavy issues, it wraps up quickly—much too fast in my opinion. It’s for these reasons that I can’t rate it higher than 3 stars.
Before you reject this read outright, please peruse the many 4- and 5-star reviews for this novel. Most people liked it far better than I did, and readers should make up their own minds about this one. Try it. If it doesn’t pull you in early on, you can always put it down.
March 9, 2021
DNF - The ideas in here have potential, but the writing style makes it impossible to get into the story. Everything is so disjointed, I'm not even sure what I'm reading and how it's contributing to the overarching story. There is so much telling, and no showing. The narrative is propelled forward by a mishmash of anecdotes and memories and digressions, one after another. Pretty much every paragraph is a new thought, but there isn't enough space to develop it, so it's all on the surface. It feels like the author hit upon a good idea that's the length of a short story, and then proceeded to stuff it out with an entire book's worth of clichés, buzzwords, and irrelevant fillers.
March 5, 2021
“The Kindest Lie” would be an excellent book club read. In fact, right after reading it, I wanted to talk to someone about it. I had so many thoughts, opinions, and uneasy feelings after reading this. This is dubbed as a novel that examines racial inequity and lies told with good intentions. But I thought there was more. For me, racism stuck out clearly; racists are generally created by other racists. And racism is a defense tactic when one is unable to confront their own inadequacies. In addition, the idea that an adult has the right/justification for their emotional needs to be satisfied over the rights of a young child. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The story begins with a successful black professional woman (Yale graduate) and her equally successful husband communicating about starting a family. Ruth is 29 and her husband Xavier is 32. He’s a PepsiCo marketing executive and she is an engineer for a packaging company. Ruth had a child out of wedlock when she was only 17, and a senior in high school. She was being raised by her grandparents after her mother left her and her brother as a result of a drug addiction. Her grandmother “forced” her to give up her baby so she could be on the upwardly mobile Yale track. With resiliency, Ruth was able to put that chapter behind her and begin her upwardly mobile, successful life. Ruth never told anyone, not even her husband Xavier about the baby. When she confesses that she’s conflicted about getting pregnant because she realizes she never emotionally processed her giving a child up for adoption, Xavier is shocked. Why didn’t she tell him this significant piece of her history? How could she just give up a baby?
This leads Ruth to returning to her hometown to see if she can find her baby, who would be 11 now. On her way home to her grandmother’s house, she stops at a childhood family friend’s store, where she meets an 11 year-old boy named Midnight. Midnight is an ironic name given to a very pale child. He explains it to her “It’s like when you name a fat person tiny. Well, I’m Midnight”. Midnight is a sweet, open, inquisitive boy. His best friend is a boy who is black, and his other friends are Latino. But Midnight doesn’t see “color” he only sees friends. This hometown is a rundown place where racism runs amuck. In fact the town is self-segregated with the blacks living in one area and the finer part of town is where the white people live. Of course, Midnight lives in the poor area. Which leads to Midnight’s home life. His mother died, and his father is an angry white man who blames all his problems on black people. His grandmother is NOT like that, but his father does have influence, and this leaves Midnight confused.
At any rate, Ruth gets herself involved in Midnight. He stirs her maternal feelings. And the reader figures out who Ruth’s biological son is pretty quick. But that’s not the point of the novel, it’s not finding out who her biological child is.
Midnight’s father is horrendous, in my opinion. It’s amazing that Midnight has kept his innocence, which is with the help of his grandmother. The father is working overtime providing Midnight with racists thoughts.
And Ruth, yes, she wants to determine who her “child” is. But does she have the right to barge into another family? The kid is happy and well grounded. Yes, her circumstances are sad, but the child, what is in his best interests?
Next, Ruth’s grandmother. Yes, she took the child from Ruth to give to an adoption place. How culpable is the grandmother who wanted her granddaughter to continue on her upward tract and not get sidelined by a baby? The grandmother will NOT tell Ruth where her baby went, although the reader predicts who he is very quickly. There are some unexpected twists in that department, but who the son is, is not a big surprise to the reader. How she finds out is an interesting process. Ruth also finds out what her grandparents sacrificed and did for her and her brother to get the best education and start in life. Ruth is shocked at some of the “secrets” that involve what was done for her best interests.
Midnight is a wonderful kid. Author Nancy Johnson writes the complexities and mixed messages that children hear with regard to race, and she uses Midnight to show how powerful those messages can be to innocent ears and eyes.
In addition, Johnson does a fantastic job with “the talk” that all families of color need to have with their children, especially boys, about being a black boy/kid in America. Sadly, police racism continues to run rampant in America.
This novel stirred many emotions in me. I was frustrated with Ruth and her self involved search for her baby. Saying that, I didn’t have a baby that I gave up, so I don’t really have the right to judge. Being of grandma age, I can understand some of what she did for the good of Ruth and her brother, but not all of it. Family is a complicated thing.
As I said at the beginning, this is a fantastic book club read. So many complexities and views that can be discussed!
I listened to the audio version, narrated by Shayna Small who is excellent!
The story begins with a successful black professional woman (Yale graduate) and her equally successful husband communicating about starting a family. Ruth is 29 and her husband Xavier is 32. He’s a PepsiCo marketing executive and she is an engineer for a packaging company. Ruth had a child out of wedlock when she was only 17, and a senior in high school. She was being raised by her grandparents after her mother left her and her brother as a result of a drug addiction. Her grandmother “forced” her to give up her baby so she could be on the upwardly mobile Yale track. With resiliency, Ruth was able to put that chapter behind her and begin her upwardly mobile, successful life. Ruth never told anyone, not even her husband Xavier about the baby. When she confesses that she’s conflicted about getting pregnant because she realizes she never emotionally processed her giving a child up for adoption, Xavier is shocked. Why didn’t she tell him this significant piece of her history? How could she just give up a baby?
This leads Ruth to returning to her hometown to see if she can find her baby, who would be 11 now. On her way home to her grandmother’s house, she stops at a childhood family friend’s store, where she meets an 11 year-old boy named Midnight. Midnight is an ironic name given to a very pale child. He explains it to her “It’s like when you name a fat person tiny. Well, I’m Midnight”. Midnight is a sweet, open, inquisitive boy. His best friend is a boy who is black, and his other friends are Latino. But Midnight doesn’t see “color” he only sees friends. This hometown is a rundown place where racism runs amuck. In fact the town is self-segregated with the blacks living in one area and the finer part of town is where the white people live. Of course, Midnight lives in the poor area. Which leads to Midnight’s home life. His mother died, and his father is an angry white man who blames all his problems on black people. His grandmother is NOT like that, but his father does have influence, and this leaves Midnight confused.
At any rate, Ruth gets herself involved in Midnight. He stirs her maternal feelings. And the reader figures out who Ruth’s biological son is pretty quick. But that’s not the point of the novel, it’s not finding out who her biological child is.
Midnight’s father is horrendous, in my opinion. It’s amazing that Midnight has kept his innocence, which is with the help of his grandmother. The father is working overtime providing Midnight with racists thoughts.
And Ruth, yes, she wants to determine who her “child” is. But does she have the right to barge into another family? The kid is happy and well grounded. Yes, her circumstances are sad, but the child, what is in his best interests?
Next, Ruth’s grandmother. Yes, she took the child from Ruth to give to an adoption place. How culpable is the grandmother who wanted her granddaughter to continue on her upward tract and not get sidelined by a baby? The grandmother will NOT tell Ruth where her baby went, although the reader predicts who he is very quickly. There are some unexpected twists in that department, but who the son is, is not a big surprise to the reader. How she finds out is an interesting process. Ruth also finds out what her grandparents sacrificed and did for her and her brother to get the best education and start in life. Ruth is shocked at some of the “secrets” that involve what was done for her best interests.
Midnight is a wonderful kid. Author Nancy Johnson writes the complexities and mixed messages that children hear with regard to race, and she uses Midnight to show how powerful those messages can be to innocent ears and eyes.
In addition, Johnson does a fantastic job with “the talk” that all families of color need to have with their children, especially boys, about being a black boy/kid in America. Sadly, police racism continues to run rampant in America.
This novel stirred many emotions in me. I was frustrated with Ruth and her self involved search for her baby. Saying that, I didn’t have a baby that I gave up, so I don’t really have the right to judge. Being of grandma age, I can understand some of what she did for the good of Ruth and her brother, but not all of it. Family is a complicated thing.
As I said at the beginning, this is a fantastic book club read. So many complexities and views that can be discussed!
I listened to the audio version, narrated by Shayna Small who is excellent!
October 15, 2020
This debut novel begins on the eve of the 2008 election at a watch party hosted by Ruth and Xavier, beaming with possibility and change for the future. We soon learn that Ruth has been keeping a secret from her husband. As a teenager she had a child and walked away to begin a new life at Yale. Ruth soon must return to her roots and hometown to find out what happened and reconnect with her family and friends. There she makes an unlikely friendship with an 11 year old white boy named Midnight, with a troubling past of his own. This story is brilliantly told and explores connections of race, money, pride and finding your way back home. Nancy Johnson is a new voice to be celebrated. She brilliantly conveys the challenges of growing up black, of having hope for a better future and the realities that are still pervasive today in our country. This is an important work that should be read, talked about and shared. Out 2/2021
March 23, 2021
This is such an impressive debut. It doesn't feel at all like it is the author's first book.
I loved the themes the author explores here, and she does it in an amazing way. She twines together race and class and really makes the reader think about how those things are interrelated. The reader is left to ponder the true meaning of family and community and how secrets held can affect both.
Ruth is a complex character, she has accomplished a great deal in her life, yet her past still haunts her. I didn't like the way she treated Xavier, but I grew to appreciate the depth of her dilemma and inability to truly connect with him until she dealt with her past. The relationship in the novel that really stood out was the one between Midnight and Ruth. Midnight's character is achingly portrayed, the reader gets a true sense of this young boy and his struggles.
This book moves along at a fast pace, but still leaves room for thought. It would make an excellent book club choice.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
I loved the themes the author explores here, and she does it in an amazing way. She twines together race and class and really makes the reader think about how those things are interrelated. The reader is left to ponder the true meaning of family and community and how secrets held can affect both.
Ruth is a complex character, she has accomplished a great deal in her life, yet her past still haunts her. I didn't like the way she treated Xavier, but I grew to appreciate the depth of her dilemma and inability to truly connect with him until she dealt with her past. The relationship in the novel that really stood out was the one between Midnight and Ruth. Midnight's character is achingly portrayed, the reader gets a true sense of this young boy and his struggles.
This book moves along at a fast pace, but still leaves room for thought. It would make an excellent book club choice.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
February 6, 2021
4.5 great debut stars (.5 stars for bringing me to tears at the end)
This powerful novel seems so very timely. Set just when Barack Obama is elected to his first presidential term, we meet Ruth and Xavier, a black married couple living in Chicago. They both have great jobs and Xavier is ready to start a family. Ruth has lots of qualms and has never been honest with her husband about the baby she had as a teen and gave up for adoption.
Ruth finally acknowledges the truth to Xavier and knows that she needs to return home to reconcile with her past before she can move forward. Her hometown in Indiana is struggling as the plant has shut down and there is still a lot of racial tension. Ruth finally confronts all the secrets around her teenage pregnancy and learns just how much her grandparents and brother did for her.
Along the way we get to meet many of the memorable inhabitants of the town and I really grew to root for the families, and especially the child who calls himself Midnight and is trying to find his place. There are themes of secrecy, the strong presence of the church, family bonds, and strength of community.
There is a tense incident at the end that had me on the edge of my seat. Near the end, the author brought me to tears and I realized just how much this book had gotten to me! I can’t wait to read what this author writes next!
Thank you to NetGalley and Book Club Girls/William Morrow and Custom House for the complimentary copy of this one.
This powerful novel seems so very timely. Set just when Barack Obama is elected to his first presidential term, we meet Ruth and Xavier, a black married couple living in Chicago. They both have great jobs and Xavier is ready to start a family. Ruth has lots of qualms and has never been honest with her husband about the baby she had as a teen and gave up for adoption.
Ruth finally acknowledges the truth to Xavier and knows that she needs to return home to reconcile with her past before she can move forward. Her hometown in Indiana is struggling as the plant has shut down and there is still a lot of racial tension. Ruth finally confronts all the secrets around her teenage pregnancy and learns just how much her grandparents and brother did for her.
Along the way we get to meet many of the memorable inhabitants of the town and I really grew to root for the families, and especially the child who calls himself Midnight and is trying to find his place. There are themes of secrecy, the strong presence of the church, family bonds, and strength of community.
There is a tense incident at the end that had me on the edge of my seat. Near the end, the author brought me to tears and I realized just how much this book had gotten to me! I can’t wait to read what this author writes next!
Thank you to NetGalley and Book Club Girls/William Morrow and Custom House for the complimentary copy of this one.
November 24, 2021
“A lie could be kind to you if you wanted it to be, if you let it.”
2.3/5
The setting begins with the celebration of President Obama's win, and we learn Ruth is a successful African American chemical engineer living in a Chicago suburb with her husband. Already a couple of years into their marriage, Xavier begins to suggest the idea of kids. Unbeknownst to him, Ruth got pregnant in high school and her grandmother, who raised her, took the baby and said she would take care of it so Ruth would not have to give up her spot in Yale. After admitting the truth to her husband, she decides to travel back to Ganton, Indiana where she grew up and find her son.
Simultaneously, we are introduced to an eleven year old poor white boy, Patrick, who prefers to himself as Midnight after mostly growing up and surrounding himself with black kids. We begin to see sides of poverty in the segregated neighboring towns as Midnight interacts with his grandma and friends.
Thus begins a story tackling racism, poverty, segregation, abandonment, motherhood, and family issues. We see how Ruth's grandmother and brother live compared to her success. She's re-united with her childhood friend. Ruth starts to form a friendship with Midnight, and we see their aspiration to succeed. These issues are important, and the way they are presented in this fictional story is impactful. You really get to see how much a family will do for you (or won't do).
However one of my setbacks with this novel is that it tried too much. A lot of these themes would appear at random points and never really develop beyond one instance. This is where I feel conflicted; I absolutely would recommend this novel, however it might not go to the depth that you were expecting. Be prepared for an honest portrayal of 2008 America and reflection on how a lot of these issues still exist in 2021.
∙
part of race against time challenge (aka read all 2021 releases before the year ends.)
2.3/5
The setting begins with the celebration of President Obama's win, and we learn Ruth is a successful African American chemical engineer living in a Chicago suburb with her husband. Already a couple of years into their marriage, Xavier begins to suggest the idea of kids. Unbeknownst to him, Ruth got pregnant in high school and her grandmother, who raised her, took the baby and said she would take care of it so Ruth would not have to give up her spot in Yale. After admitting the truth to her husband, she decides to travel back to Ganton, Indiana where she grew up and find her son.
Simultaneously, we are introduced to an eleven year old poor white boy, Patrick, who prefers to himself as Midnight after mostly growing up and surrounding himself with black kids. We begin to see sides of poverty in the segregated neighboring towns as Midnight interacts with his grandma and friends.
Thus begins a story tackling racism, poverty, segregation, abandonment, motherhood, and family issues. We see how Ruth's grandmother and brother live compared to her success. She's re-united with her childhood friend. Ruth starts to form a friendship with Midnight, and we see their aspiration to succeed. These issues are important, and the way they are presented in this fictional story is impactful. You really get to see how much a family will do for you (or won't do).
However one of my setbacks with this novel is that it tried too much. A lot of these themes would appear at random points and never really develop beyond one instance. This is where I feel conflicted; I absolutely would recommend this novel, however it might not go to the depth that you were expecting. Be prepared for an honest portrayal of 2008 America and reflection on how a lot of these issues still exist in 2021.
∙
part of race against time challenge (aka read all 2021 releases before the year ends.)
February 14, 2021
This gets a big “meh” rating from me. There’s a lot in here to work with, but it never really met its potential.
As Ruth and her husband begin to talk about starting their own family she is forced to reconcile with the secret she’s kept for 11 years - even from her own husband. At 17 she gave birth and let her grandmother carry the baby away, only to never see him again, so she could pursue her dreams of Yale and a better life than the rough life that most in her Indiana hometown go on to lead. When she returns home to find her son and find answers, she befriends a young boy known as Midnight.
First of all...let me say that I just could not get on board with the nickname Midnight and it drove me nuts the entire novel. I felt like I was reading about a cat and not a boy. Secondly, Ruth is not totally likeable. She remains incredibly selfish throughout the whole book though the author tries (and fails) to make her sympathetic. Many parts of this book drug and I felt like I really had to push through it, I kept waiting for the above 4.15 star average rating to come through but it never. This felt like a clunky debut - the author didn’t do well showing us what the characters were thinking or feeling and she could have really left Midnight’s perspective completely out and the story would have been just fine. In fact, it probably would have been far more compelling to give us Ruth’s husband Xavier’s perspective or flashback to Mama’s perspective from the time Ruth gave birth.
Not impressed with this one and rounding up to a 3 because there were some good themes in here.
As Ruth and her husband begin to talk about starting their own family she is forced to reconcile with the secret she’s kept for 11 years - even from her own husband. At 17 she gave birth and let her grandmother carry the baby away, only to never see him again, so she could pursue her dreams of Yale and a better life than the rough life that most in her Indiana hometown go on to lead. When she returns home to find her son and find answers, she befriends a young boy known as Midnight.
First of all...let me say that I just could not get on board with the nickname Midnight and it drove me nuts the entire novel. I felt like I was reading about a cat and not a boy. Secondly, Ruth is not totally likeable. She remains incredibly selfish throughout the whole book though the author tries (and fails) to make her sympathetic. Many parts of this book drug and I felt like I really had to push through it, I kept waiting for the above 4.15 star average rating to come through but it never. This felt like a clunky debut - the author didn’t do well showing us what the characters were thinking or feeling and she could have really left Midnight’s perspective completely out and the story would have been just fine. In fact, it probably would have been far more compelling to give us Ruth’s husband Xavier’s perspective or flashback to Mama’s perspective from the time Ruth gave birth.
Not impressed with this one and rounding up to a 3 because there were some good themes in here.
June 9, 2021
Ruth Tuttle and her husband, Xavier, are living their American dream in Chicago. They’re both highly-educated, have lucrative jobs and celebrating Barack Obama’s historic 2008 victory when a secret Ruth has been keeping for years comes crashing through the perfect life they’ve built together. In all their talk of having kids, Ruth has only now disclosed that she’d previously given birth at 17, before the child was put up for adoption. Now armed with questions of her own, Ruth heads back to her hometown of Ganton, Indiana to find her lost son and try to understand how she could have let him go in the first place.
Ganton represents a lot of American towns in decline over the past few decades. As manufacturing and traditional blue-collar jobs have dried up, so has the soul of the town itself. Right when the Great Recession was hitting Americans the hardest, Barack Obama was elected, creating a lot of opportunity but also generating an excessive amount of pushback. The white residents of Ganton resented him taking office for a multitude of reasons, but the feeling that something was being ‘taken’ from them and given to someone like Obama seemed to be at the root of a lot of them.
The son of one of these aggrieved, unemployed white men, Midnight (real name Patrick), forms a bond with Ruth after meeting her through their respective grandmothers. Midnight is struggling and Ruth can see it, and in him she sees refractions of the son she left behind. The relationship between Ruth and Midnight is the kind of tentative friendship that I think a lot of people will find comforting—where two people who have had vastly different experiences are able to see parts of themselves in one another.
I was fascinated with how Ruth’s family justified keeping the details of her son’s adoption from her for all these years. Mama, the grandmother who raised her, genuinely believed that she was doing what was best both for her granddaughter and her great-grandson. Even Eli, Ruth’s brother, was keeping many of these secrets from his sister. While I don’t think Ruth made perhaps the smartest or most well thought-out decision in every situation, I really couldn’t blame her for any of the choices she made based on the circumstances she found herself in. The adults around her at the time are the ones that I put most of the blame on when things turned out poorly. They not only made the decisions for her, but lied to her out of “love” everyday after.
What kept this from being a five star read for me was that it just didn’t feel like much...happened. The themes and characters are all there, I just needed more plot. I don’t want to say I was bored while reading the entire time, but I had trouble picking The Kindest Lie back up after putting it down. Other than that, it was an interesting exploration of the idea of the American dream, chosen families, race in America and how lies snake their way through all of them, distorting our perception of the truth. A solid debut from author Nancy Johnson, I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next.
*Thank you to Brittany, Jess, Carrie & Jordan for including me in this month’s Mystery Book Club! And thanks to William Morrow for my finished copy!
**For more book talk & reviews, follow me on Instagram at @elle_mentbooks!
Ganton represents a lot of American towns in decline over the past few decades. As manufacturing and traditional blue-collar jobs have dried up, so has the soul of the town itself. Right when the Great Recession was hitting Americans the hardest, Barack Obama was elected, creating a lot of opportunity but also generating an excessive amount of pushback. The white residents of Ganton resented him taking office for a multitude of reasons, but the feeling that something was being ‘taken’ from them and given to someone like Obama seemed to be at the root of a lot of them.
The son of one of these aggrieved, unemployed white men, Midnight (real name Patrick), forms a bond with Ruth after meeting her through their respective grandmothers. Midnight is struggling and Ruth can see it, and in him she sees refractions of the son she left behind. The relationship between Ruth and Midnight is the kind of tentative friendship that I think a lot of people will find comforting—where two people who have had vastly different experiences are able to see parts of themselves in one another.
I was fascinated with how Ruth’s family justified keeping the details of her son’s adoption from her for all these years. Mama, the grandmother who raised her, genuinely believed that she was doing what was best both for her granddaughter and her great-grandson. Even Eli, Ruth’s brother, was keeping many of these secrets from his sister. While I don’t think Ruth made perhaps the smartest or most well thought-out decision in every situation, I really couldn’t blame her for any of the choices she made based on the circumstances she found herself in. The adults around her at the time are the ones that I put most of the blame on when things turned out poorly. They not only made the decisions for her, but lied to her out of “love” everyday after.
What kept this from being a five star read for me was that it just didn’t feel like much...happened. The themes and characters are all there, I just needed more plot. I don’t want to say I was bored while reading the entire time, but I had trouble picking The Kindest Lie back up after putting it down. Other than that, it was an interesting exploration of the idea of the American dream, chosen families, race in America and how lies snake their way through all of them, distorting our perception of the truth. A solid debut from author Nancy Johnson, I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next.
*Thank you to Brittany, Jess, Carrie & Jordan for including me in this month’s Mystery Book Club! And thanks to William Morrow for my finished copy!
**For more book talk & reviews, follow me on Instagram at @elle_mentbooks!
February 10, 2021
Brilliant novel about race, class and motherhood. Must-read.
I read this novel in record time because I got so absorbed in these characters and story that I couldn't put it down.
The very timely exploration of class, motherhood and black-white divide in America make "The Kindest Lie" the kind of book I feel the need to read more of as a white woman. The way these themes are carried out definitely reminded me of "The Vanishing Half" and "The Mothers" by Brit Bennett and "Small Great Things" by Jodi Picoult (also about a Yale-educated Ruth!). The story written by Johnson is equally memorable while the writing is just as poignant as in these masterpieces.
However, what sets this book apart is the emphasis on politics of race and class in America. The 2008 Presidential election and the unemployment + anger + despair in Ruth's hometown, an Indiana factory town, are at the forefront of the novel. On top of that, Ruth's identity (or the socially imposed identity) as a successful woman vs. a mother shows how private lives are never separate from politics. Her unlikely friendship with Midnight, a lonely white boy from that town who wishes for her to be his mother, emphasizes ways in which true connection transcends racial divides.
I highly recommend this remarkable book to anyone.
*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I read this novel in record time because I got so absorbed in these characters and story that I couldn't put it down.
The very timely exploration of class, motherhood and black-white divide in America make "The Kindest Lie" the kind of book I feel the need to read more of as a white woman. The way these themes are carried out definitely reminded me of "The Vanishing Half" and "The Mothers" by Brit Bennett and "Small Great Things" by Jodi Picoult (also about a Yale-educated Ruth!). The story written by Johnson is equally memorable while the writing is just as poignant as in these masterpieces.
However, what sets this book apart is the emphasis on politics of race and class in America. The 2008 Presidential election and the unemployment + anger + despair in Ruth's hometown, an Indiana factory town, are at the forefront of the novel. On top of that, Ruth's identity (or the socially imposed identity) as a successful woman vs. a mother shows how private lives are never separate from politics. Her unlikely friendship with Midnight, a lonely white boy from that town who wishes for her to be his mother, emphasizes ways in which true connection transcends racial divides.
I highly recommend this remarkable book to anyone.
*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 3, 2020
Set against the backdrop of the Obama election of 2008 and the lingering effects of the recession, The Kindest Lie is an emotionally compelling story about family, motherhood, and race. Ruth is happily married, an engineer, and a Yale graduate. But she is haunted by the life she left behind, and the big lie that threatens her marriage. When she returns to her hometown, we are given an honest and intimate account of a place and its people, suffering from an economic downturn which exacerbates the racial divide that already exists. The characters in this novel have so many layers, shaped by years of discrimination, family history, and economic despair. Each of them are memorable, and will linger in my heart. This is such an important and relevant story, written with a deep level of understanding and sensitivity. There were scenes in this book that took my breath away, as I stepped into the shoes of these characters, feeling all that they did—their fear, their distrust, their love, and their hope.
August 7, 2020
This is a beautiful novel that speaks to race and motherhood. Obviously, this is very timely and because it is so thoughtful and well written, it will certainly be an excellent choice for reading groups.
The protagonist,, Ruth is so many things, wife, mother?, daughter, sister and academic star. The novel explores how these segments pull her apart and how the pieces can be resolved. I enjoyed this and found myself thinking about all of the relationships and who has the right to determine another’s future. Are good intentions enough?
I highly recommend this novel. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read it.
The protagonist,, Ruth is so many things, wife, mother?, daughter, sister and academic star. The novel explores how these segments pull her apart and how the pieces can be resolved. I enjoyed this and found myself thinking about all of the relationships and who has the right to determine another’s future. Are good intentions enough?
I highly recommend this novel. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read it.
February 10, 2021
This was a raw and emotionally beautiful book that deeply moved me in a way no other book has. Thankfully I've never been in this situation or even wanted kids myself but somehow I loved the book anyway. It's really good and makes you think
January 22, 2021
Gorgeously nuanced.
January 17, 2021
Well-written literary fiction that examines racism and class issues
In 2008, the election of Barack Obama brings a new sense of optimism, especially to the Black community. In the south side of Chicago, Ruth Tuttle and her husband, Xavier, have a nice home and good jobs. Xavier is ready to start a family. But Ruth remains unsure. She cannot get past the baby she gave birth to at seventeen and then gave away. It's a secret she's kept all these years, even from Xavier. When Ruth finally admits what happened, she feels compelled to return home and find out what happened to her child. Her working-class Indiana hometown has seen better days. And her grandmother and brother are unwilling to tell the truth about what happened to her child, holding fast to the idea that they sacrificed so Ruth could have a better life. As Ruth begins investigating on her own, she meets Midnight, a young white teen who is struggling too. The two form an unlikely bond, but it soon may be tested in a town teeming with its own racism issues.
"A lie could be kind to you if you wanted it to be, if you let it. With every year that passed, it became easier to put more distance between her old life and her new one."
This is a beautifully written book that deftly examines the issues of racism and class in America. It sneaks up on you with its wonderfully done story, filled with tenderness and longing. The characters are so excellent, with Midnight and Ruth (and the supporting cast) simply popping off the pages and becoming real as you read. The story is told from both Ruth and Midnight's points of view, giving a depth and insight to the plot, as we hear from both an educated and complex Black women and a scared white kid trying to survive.
Johnson does a wonderful job of portraying the struggles of being Black in America: whether you're a college-educated woman such a Ruth, or whether you're her brother Eli, unemployed after the closure of the plant in their hometown, which has basically killed the hope and livelihood of many of the town's residents (both Black and white). The book covers race and class in a thoughtful way--often sad, often touching, and always well-done.
This is an excellent book that puts you in the place of its characters. It is thoughtful and timely. 4.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book from LibraryThing and William Morrow in return for an unbiased review. It is available on 2/2/2021.
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In 2008, the election of Barack Obama brings a new sense of optimism, especially to the Black community. In the south side of Chicago, Ruth Tuttle and her husband, Xavier, have a nice home and good jobs. Xavier is ready to start a family. But Ruth remains unsure. She cannot get past the baby she gave birth to at seventeen and then gave away. It's a secret she's kept all these years, even from Xavier. When Ruth finally admits what happened, she feels compelled to return home and find out what happened to her child. Her working-class Indiana hometown has seen better days. And her grandmother and brother are unwilling to tell the truth about what happened to her child, holding fast to the idea that they sacrificed so Ruth could have a better life. As Ruth begins investigating on her own, she meets Midnight, a young white teen who is struggling too. The two form an unlikely bond, but it soon may be tested in a town teeming with its own racism issues.
"A lie could be kind to you if you wanted it to be, if you let it. With every year that passed, it became easier to put more distance between her old life and her new one."
This is a beautifully written book that deftly examines the issues of racism and class in America. It sneaks up on you with its wonderfully done story, filled with tenderness and longing. The characters are so excellent, with Midnight and Ruth (and the supporting cast) simply popping off the pages and becoming real as you read. The story is told from both Ruth and Midnight's points of view, giving a depth and insight to the plot, as we hear from both an educated and complex Black women and a scared white kid trying to survive.
Johnson does a wonderful job of portraying the struggles of being Black in America: whether you're a college-educated woman such a Ruth, or whether you're her brother Eli, unemployed after the closure of the plant in their hometown, which has basically killed the hope and livelihood of many of the town's residents (both Black and white). The book covers race and class in a thoughtful way--often sad, often touching, and always well-done.
This is an excellent book that puts you in the place of its characters. It is thoughtful and timely. 4.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book from LibraryThing and William Morrow in return for an unbiased review. It is available on 2/2/2021.
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October 13, 2020
This book was brilliant and Ruth the heroine in this book was such a strong women and some places in the book my heart broke for her .
This book depicts the reality of black parents in America and racism that they face and I loved the how the author handled all the aspects and I couldn’t put it down .
Thanks to Edelweiss for sending me an early copy of this book🥰🥰
This book depicts the reality of black parents in America and racism that they face and I loved the how the author handled all the aspects and I couldn’t put it down .
Thanks to Edelweiss for sending me an early copy of this book🥰🥰
April 14, 2021
Let's begin with facts:
(SORRY I'M SO ANGRY)
This book is not interesting. This book is not nuanced. This book is not well-written.
I've seen this book all oooover the place and chose it as my BOTM in February. Do we not just love that cover art? And let's be real, the plot sounds fascinating: wealthy, brilliant black woman (married to a wealthy, brilliant black man) goes back to her poor hometown to get some answers about the son she gave up for adoption at 17, the perfectly reasonable reasons being so she could go to Yale on full scholarship and the father showed absolutely no interest in even wanting to be with her, without even knowing about the baby. HHmmk, yes.
RIGHT. SO.
Whoever is calling this novel "nuanced" needs to stop. This is clearly Johnson's debut novel, because well.....she isn't a good long-form storyteller. She landed on about three concepts to pound into the readers head, and she did: regret at giving up a child, African-Americans have a lot of sad history, life is hard when you're a member of the lower socio-economic class. Before we start, don't for a second think I am unfeeling towards any of the struggles these characters are going through, I just don't think WE SHOULD BE PROMOTING NOVEL WRITERS THAT SHOULDN'T BE NOVEL WRITERS. The author is a journalist, and that requires a different set of skills than fiction writing. And that's great, but let's not automatically think that one can do the other. It reads like Johnson is capitalizing on real-world struggles because she didn't actually have a fleshed out story, deciding instead to produce a manuscript full of buzz-words and trigger-warnings. And unfortunately, the writing style itself isn't the least bit compelling, unique, or even mature, so I asked myself - what the hell am I reading this for?
Here, have some examples of the prose:
"Yet lately, she felt the way she had as a kid in gym class teetering on the balance beam, where one misstep could land her in a heap on the floor." Subtle. What layers. Also, ya'll had balance beams in gym class? The LIABILITY.
"By this time, she had become a butterfly shedding her cocoon, finding her legs and then her wings." A never-before-heard metaphor.
"Very few memories of the woman lodged in her brain, but on the last Christmas they spent together, Joanna wore a short red Santa dress with bells dangling from her butt." Why are you saying butt? Write like an adult.
"Somehow, the silence that day cut deeper than angry words." Yawn! Terrible!
"'Why is their toilet paper in the kitchen?'
'Because somebody doesn't know how to hang it on the roll right. I got up and went to the bathroom this morning and like to have a fit. You know it goes over, not under...'
Ruth wanted to laugh, but she didn't dare do it with Mama's scolding eyes boring into hers like she was nine instead of twenty-nine." Excuse me, what? You felt that was relevant? GIRL, MY TIME IS PRECIOUS.
I'm busy. I don't get to read a lot for pleasure anymore. My TBR list is long. DNF @ 44%.
(SORRY I'M SO ANGRY)
This book is not interesting. This book is not nuanced. This book is not well-written.
I've seen this book all oooover the place and chose it as my BOTM in February. Do we not just love that cover art? And let's be real, the plot sounds fascinating: wealthy, brilliant black woman (married to a wealthy, brilliant black man) goes back to her poor hometown to get some answers about the son she gave up for adoption at 17, the perfectly reasonable reasons being so she could go to Yale on full scholarship and the father showed absolutely no interest in even wanting to be with her, without even knowing about the baby. HHmmk, yes.
RIGHT. SO.
Whoever is calling this novel "nuanced" needs to stop. This is clearly Johnson's debut novel, because well.....she isn't a good long-form storyteller. She landed on about three concepts to pound into the readers head, and she did: regret at giving up a child, African-Americans have a lot of sad history, life is hard when you're a member of the lower socio-economic class. Before we start, don't for a second think I am unfeeling towards any of the struggles these characters are going through, I just don't think WE SHOULD BE PROMOTING NOVEL WRITERS THAT SHOULDN'T BE NOVEL WRITERS. The author is a journalist, and that requires a different set of skills than fiction writing. And that's great, but let's not automatically think that one can do the other. It reads like Johnson is capitalizing on real-world struggles because she didn't actually have a fleshed out story, deciding instead to produce a manuscript full of buzz-words and trigger-warnings. And unfortunately, the writing style itself isn't the least bit compelling, unique, or even mature, so I asked myself - what the hell am I reading this for?
Here, have some examples of the prose:
"Yet lately, she felt the way she had as a kid in gym class teetering on the balance beam, where one misstep could land her in a heap on the floor." Subtle. What layers. Also, ya'll had balance beams in gym class? The LIABILITY.
"By this time, she had become a butterfly shedding her cocoon, finding her legs and then her wings." A never-before-heard metaphor.
"Very few memories of the woman lodged in her brain, but on the last Christmas they spent together, Joanna wore a short red Santa dress with bells dangling from her butt." Why are you saying butt? Write like an adult.
"Somehow, the silence that day cut deeper than angry words." Yawn! Terrible!
"'Why is their toilet paper in the kitchen?'
'Because somebody doesn't know how to hang it on the roll right. I got up and went to the bathroom this morning and like to have a fit. You know it goes over, not under...'
Ruth wanted to laugh, but she didn't dare do it with Mama's scolding eyes boring into hers like she was nine instead of twenty-nine." Excuse me, what? You felt that was relevant? GIRL, MY TIME IS PRECIOUS.
I'm busy. I don't get to read a lot for pleasure anymore. My TBR list is long. DNF @ 44%.
September 22, 2020
I received this anticipated debut novel in a Goodreads giveaway and tore through it in a matter of days. I want to call it a page-turner, and it truly was--I was completely absorbed in the very human story and invested in the characters and the outcome. Yet the deeper you get into the novel, and the more pages you turn, the more you are faced with the pain, fear and uncertainty the characters wrestle with as they struggle with poverty and inequality while confronting stereotypes and systemic racism. The characters, flawed and achingly real, jump off the page. Despite their suffering, they possess the strength, grace, compassion, humor and resilience that allows them to endure. I was moved by the sacrifices they were willing to make for each other, the connections they forged across racial and economic lines, and the reconfigured families they form to provide emotional anchors in good times and bad.
This is the kind of book you wish everyone would read, and it's sure to generate lots of discussion, which makes it perfect for book clubs. Johnson unflinchingly addresses some of the biggest and most urgent societal issues we face with nuance and compassion, while telling a story that had me completely hooked. Would Midnight and Corey be safe? Would Ruth be able to save her marriage when she confronts her past?
I recommend this novel with enthusiasm. I'm very glad I read it, and I'll encourage my friends to read it, too.
This is the kind of book you wish everyone would read, and it's sure to generate lots of discussion, which makes it perfect for book clubs. Johnson unflinchingly addresses some of the biggest and most urgent societal issues we face with nuance and compassion, while telling a story that had me completely hooked. Would Midnight and Corey be safe? Would Ruth be able to save her marriage when she confronts her past?
I recommend this novel with enthusiasm. I'm very glad I read it, and I'll encourage my friends to read it, too.
January 30, 2021
Ruth is a successful Black engineer living with her husband in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood. President Obama has just been elected and hope is in the air, but when her husband wants to start a family of their own, Ruth is forced to reckon with her past. She left her hometown in a factory town in Indiana to go to Yale- but not before she gave birth in secret at 17 years old. Before she can move forward she feels drawn home so she can make peace with her past, but this proves to be easier said than done.
This story is layered and heartfelt- and let’s be honest, messy! (But not as heavy as you might expect). It’s character driven and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Midnight, a young white boy who is desperate for connection, who could be a link to finding her son. These characters came alive, to the point where I was telling my husband all about them, as though they were my friends. The author takes on race and class and does so in a way that illustrates how privilege often doesn’t have anything to do with money. It’s about family, found family, motherhood, and reckoning with choices that are too late to change. I really really loved this debut, and hope you do too! I think if you enjoy Catherine Adel West’s SAVING RUBY KING or Tayari Jones’s AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE, this could be for you.
Thanks to @williammorrowbooks for sending!
This story is layered and heartfelt- and let’s be honest, messy! (But not as heavy as you might expect). It’s character driven and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Midnight, a young white boy who is desperate for connection, who could be a link to finding her son. These characters came alive, to the point where I was telling my husband all about them, as though they were my friends. The author takes on race and class and does so in a way that illustrates how privilege often doesn’t have anything to do with money. It’s about family, found family, motherhood, and reckoning with choices that are too late to change. I really really loved this debut, and hope you do too! I think if you enjoy Catherine Adel West’s SAVING RUBY KING or Tayari Jones’s AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE, this could be for you.
Thanks to @williammorrowbooks for sending!
October 8, 2021
4 STARS
So many complex and relevant issues are addressed in this book through a combination very likable characters. It definitely provides food for thought.
So many complex and relevant issues are addressed in this book through a combination very likable characters. It definitely provides food for thought.
January 6, 2026
I liked the story, quick and easy to follow.
I was confused at the main character's intense investment in Midnight from the beginning, as she seemed to lack the emotional capability to empathize or sympathize with her own family and husband.
I was confused at the main character's intense investment in Midnight from the beginning, as she seemed to lack the emotional capability to empathize or sympathize with her own family and husband.
August 31, 2020
This is a real story with ups and downs and plenty to think about for everyone.
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