A Long Time Comin'

Starred review from December 9, 2019
Pearson’s excellent debut explores forgiveness and the burden of secrets. When Evelyn finds out she’s pregnant, she tries to stick it out with her husband, Kevin, instead of entertaining her fantasies of leaving him. After Kevin goes abroad for work, Evelyn finds out that her grandmother, Granny B, is dying from leukemia. Evelyn and her mother decide to make sure that Granny B is getting the best treatment possible, but Evelyn soon discovers that it’s hard to change the ways of someone who is not afraid of dying. Evelyn decides to stick around as Granny B receives treatment, and while there, they sift through a box of old letters, uncovering facets of their history as well as long-buried secrets. Through sharing experiences and their views on faith and forgiveness, both women begin to see each other in a different light. Evelyn continues to throw Granny B’s life and routine into upheaval as she becomes determined to reconnect Granny B with her children, whom she rarely sees, but reconnecting means that Granny B will have to confront her past mistakes. In turn, helping Granny B repair her relationships and come to terms with the past gives Evelyn the strength to work on her own family. Pearson’s saga is enjoyable and uncomfortable, but also funny and persistent in the way that only family can be.

November 15, 2019
Beatrice Agnew has spent her life living for others. At 15, she became a mother, and then a single parent after her husband left her a few years later. Beatrice did what she had to do for her family to survive, relying mostly on the Lord and herself. So when she receives a devastating diagnosis and the news that she only has a few months to live, she decides that she will embrace death on her own terms. Part of that embracing is saying to her children what's in her heart, so she calls on her granddaughter, Evelyn, to help write and deliver the letters. But with those letters is another, one that's been a long time coming. Pearson delivers a poignant debut that explores the faith of one African American family. Though it is perhaps overlong, the writing is strong, and the story is engaging, and readers will be pleased to discover a new voice in southern inspirational fiction. Libraries with Christian-fiction collections will want to add this novel to their shelves.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)