Fortunate Son

Starred review from April 3, 2006
Toussaint's honeyed voice, flecked with the slightest undertone of grit, is lovely but forbidding, the sound of effortless social grace underscored by the threat of steely authority at the slightest provocation. Sounding much like actress Alfre Woodard, Toussaint reads Mosley's novel of two stepbrothers, brought together as part of an unlikely family yet separated by wildly divergent fortunes. Tommy and Eric, joined by their respective parents' meeting at Tommy's hospital bed, are inseparable as boys, but their differing natures and fates tear them apart as they grow older. Toussaint's performance is flawless, superbly mimicking the vocal patterns of characters both large and small, varying the texture of her reading by altering speed, style and vocal depth to provide Mosley's book with texture and subtle power. She is the rare reader who allows the words of her text to dictate the tone of her reading, rather than imposing a vocal style on the book; as a result, her reading is more pleasurable than run-of-the-mill audiobooks, staying true to the spirit of Mosley's tart, occasionally sentimental prose with admirable tenacity.

Starred review from February 13, 2006
White Los Angeles heart surgeon Minas Nolan, a very recent widower, meets African-American flower-shop employee Branwyn Beerman when her son Thomas is born prematurely with a hole in his lung, and without a father in his life. Minas has a son, Eric, a week younger than Tommy, and the four, along with enigmatic Vietnamese nanny Ahn, soon form a loving ménage. Following Branwyn's sudden death 50 pages later, Tommy, now six, is plunged into a hardscrabble life when his difficult father, Elton, claims him; he grows up without resentment, talking aloud to Branwyn when he's sad or confused (and sometimes to Elton's on-again, off-again partner, May), but ends up on the streets. Eric, meanwhile, sails through childhood and adolescence, but remains alienated, constantly missing "his brother," even having a child at 16 with Christine, who's a few years older. Knowingly drawing on the genre constraints that drive his Easy Rawlins mysteries, Mosley puts Thomas through trial after trial, and Eric through a kind of chronic heartlessness. Both continually refer to the time they lived together, and each thinks of the other as a real brother. After more than 10 years of separation, they're reunited, but that's not the point: with the lightest, slyest of touches, Mosley shows how a certain kind of inarticulate, carnal, involuntary affection transcends just about anything. It's not love, it's fate, and it's breathtaking.

March 1, 2006
Tommy was born out of wedlock with a hole in his heart; he -s also lame and black. Eric, on the other hand, glows with health; he is so beautiful that people want to touch him -and he -s white. For a few years, the boys live together after Tommy -s mother and Eric -s widowed doctor father fall in love after meeting in the hospital ward. Then Tommy -s mother dies, and Tommy is wrested from the only family he -s known. Eric grows up leading a life that appears blessed, but with Tommy gone, he -s lost all that is important to him. Tommy, meanwhile, ends up on the street but feels lucky simply to be alive. In their twenties, the two still dream of each other when they are reunited by accident, and the bond between them is renewed. When their newfound happiness is imperiled, Tommy acts to save his brother. This is the story of two men joined by something deeper than the accident of birth or the color of their skin. As with all of Mosley -s ("Cinnamon Kiss" novels, the writing is crisp and the plotting impeccable. "Fortunate Son"deserves to be on the shelves of every library. Enthusiastically recommended. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ"12/05.]" -David Keymer, Modesto, CA"

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 15, 2006
At a Los Angeles hospital, African American single mother Brianna Beerman sits vigil at the side of her fragile infant son, Thomas, born with a hole in his heart. White heart surgeon Minas Nolan sees her and is instantly attracted to the dark-skinned beauty with the radiant smile. A recent widower, Dr. Nolan has a healthy son, Eric, a week younger than Thomas. The four are soon living together. Brianna is the mother Eric desperately needs; Minas is a far better role model than Thomas' biological father, Elton, who abandoned Brianna soon after learning she was pregnant. Though the boys love each other as brothers, they couldn't be more different. Sensitive Thomas finds joy in simple things, a blossoming flower, a bird in flight. Eric, blessed with good looks and good luck, takes his charmed life for granted. The makeshift family is wrenched apart when Brianna dies, and Thomas is forced to move in with unpredictable Elton. The boys live out their separate lives (Eric fathers a child at age 16; Thomas survives a stint in jail and several years on the streets), until dramatic circumstances reunite them more than a decade later. Mosley, best known for his acclaimed Easy Rawlins mystery series, weaves the themes of race, destiny, and redemption into an astonishing tale of unlikely siblings and unconditional love.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)