Untethered
A Novel
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Sometimes family is found in the most unlikely of places . . .
In the small college town of Troy, Alabama, amidst the backdrop of 1967, Katia Daniels lives a life steeped in responsibility. At the Pike County Group Home for Negro Boys, she pours her heart into nurturing the young lives under her care, harboring a longing for children of her own. Katia's romantic entanglement with an older man brings comfort but also stirs questions about the path she's chosen.
The weight of her family's history bears down on her; a twin brother is missing in action in the heart of the Vietnam War. Having lost her father to cancer, Katia took up the mantle of caretaker, ensuring her mother and brothers were looked after. Her sense of duty extends to the boys at the group home, creating a web of obligations that stretches her emotional bandwidth thin.
Amidst a power struggle at work with the board, Katia finds solace in the pages of romance novels and the soothing melodies of Nina Simone. When Seth Taylor, a familiar face from her high school days, reenters Katia's life, he brings with him a breeze of nostalgia and a reminder of a time when her dreams felt less tethered. As their friendship rekindles, Katia grapples with the idea of making choices for herself, even as the realization that she can no longer have children weighs heavily on her.
This novel is a poignant tale of a woman torn between the demands of her heart and the responsibilities she's shouldered for so long. Set against the backdrop of a changing South, this novel delves into the complexities of love, family, and self-discovery in a time of transformation and upheaval.
"Jackson-Brown (THE LIGHT ALWAYS BREAKS) delivers a touching story of a middle-aged Black woman and the burdens she shoulders during the Vietnam War . . . Jackson-Brown ably captures Katia's indomitable spirit and devotion to her family. This is worth a look." --Publishers Weekly
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Jackson-Brown (The Light Always Breaks) delivers a touching story of a middle-aged Black woman and the burdens she shoulders during the Vietnam War. It's 1967 in Troy, Ala., where Katia Daniels serves as executive director at a group home for boys, doing her best to embody the nurturing mother figure the children need and have come to expect from her. When a medical emergency prompts her to have a hysterectomy, Katia is crushed that she won't be able to have children of her own. She suppresses her anguish, however, because she knows the people she loves depend on her and she does not want to let them down, especially her widowed mother. Katia's world begins to unravel when one of her younger twin brothers returns home from Vietnam and the other is reported missing in action. The news collides with tensions at the group home, as Katia runs afoul of the misogynistic board of directors. There are a few plot holes on the way to a rushed conclusion, but Jackson-Brown ably captures Katia's indomitable spirit and devotion to her family. This is worth a look.
