Your Corner Dark

January 25, 2021
In Jamaica, “so bankrupt it could hardly afford hope,” Franklyn Green, nearly 18, dreams of an engineering scholarship to the University of Arizona. Preparing to leave the small town of Troy, Frankie must recalibrate when his widowed father, Samson, is hit by a stray bullet at an election party thrown by Frankie’s uncle Joe. Considering the hatred between his father and uncle, and with no other option, Frankie joins Uncle Joe’s gang to pay for his father’s life-saving treatment. As he navigates this new life, Frankie starts dating his private school classmate Leah, the artistic daughter of a corrupt cop who works with his uncle. But after saving his best friend, Winston, from a rival gang, “posse life” becomes lethal, and as the election draws near, a turf war begins to drag Frankie in, threatening everyone he knows. Jamaican-born author Hall adeptly presents Frankie’s constant battle between the life he’s dealt and the life he desires. While his portrayal may leave a cutthroat impression of Jamaica without clear context, Hall offers vivid imagery, genuine dialogue, and a powerfully persistent protagonist in this fast-paced debut. Ages 14–up. Agent: Faye Bender, the Book Group