The Book of Colors

May 1, 2015
Yslea is a keen-eyed young woman with a wandering mind who picks up on fine details of the little things of life. On the outskirts of Memphis, she wanders past three rundown row houses, their residents sitting on their respective porches, and asks for a glass of water. Jimmy, whose houses is in the middle, invites her to get a glass for herself. And so begins her relationship with the three neighbors: Jimmy, a butcher with desires for more than his life provides; reticent Layla and her daughter, Ambrosia, who rocks incessantly and is obsessed with a book of colors; and Rose, an old woman who is dying. A short-lived relationship with Jimmy leaves Yslea pregnant, and she moves in to take care of Rose and finds herself in a position of waiting for the beginning of one life and the end of another. She joins the group each day on the porch as they watch trainsand lifego by. They build an odd-family relationship, their lives unwinding each day with regularity and mundanity, until Jimmy gets an idea for making money. A beautifully written debut.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)