The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis ✭✭✭✭

[Nileema]

It took me a few chapters to fully appreciate the snapshot style of this novel, with each chapter revealing a study of a different character in a specific moment of time. Each character is related to the eponymous Hattie, and the reader shapes their impression of her through the eyes of her various children, as we learn about their lives and personalities through the chapters.
At first, I thought it would bother me that there wouldn’t be any significant follow up of the characters we came to know, usually profoundly, through the focused chapters. However, I came to understand and appreciate the layout and feel this style gives the book a certain depth.
Mathis clearly has a gift for writing prose - her descriptions are vivid and symbolic without being flowery, superfluous or contrived. Her character studies are profound, unique and complex. The settings are varied and open the reader’s eyes to a range of often neglected stories that no doubt echo those of many.
This is a bleak story; it is the story of a worn down family whose matriarch offers no consolation but a strong back on which to lean. There is little, if any, relief in this book - romantic, comedic, or otherwise. It is a book worth reading, though, in my opinion, if only to experience that truly transportive element of all great books.


**cross-posted to Trim the TBR challenge**

[Joi]

Very thoughtful review, I think I WANTED to like this a lot more than I did- although I'm not a big short story person. I found myself wanting to hear more about previous characters, and wanting them to pop up later on instead of moving on.

[Nileema]

Joi wrote: "Very thoughtful review, I think I WANTED to like this a lot more than I did- although I'm not a big short story person. I found myself wanting to hear more about previous characters, and wanting th..."

I completely understand - I thought this would be a major problem for me, too, but somehow I eventually came to appreciate the short story style.