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Oct 11, 2016EKGO rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
There is nothing remarkable about the Detroit family portrayed in this novel, except maybe its notable size (13 children, now all grown) The old Turner House is the focal point of the story. Viola, the aging matriarch, has had to move in with her son, Cha Cha, and his wife, leaving the family home empty. Eldest child Cha Cha discusses what to do with the house, and on some level, what to do with their declining mother, while, at the same time, youngest child Lelah is down on her luck, squatting in her mom's house, trying to get back on her feet. Family history builds through Viola's early years with her husband, Francis, as well as the siblings' memories of childhood, culminating in Cha Cha's quest to face the haint who has been haunting him for decades, Lelah's mission to accept and define herself instead of defining herself through others, and the rest of the family to figure out what to do with the Turner House. Readers who come from large families will most likely enjoy this story of a regular city family, following it from its beginning to its transition to the next generation.