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Jump at the Sun”Jump at the Sun” by Kim McLarin c.2006, William Morrow            $24.95            320 pages

3 min read

They say that history repeats itself.

Scary thought, isn’t it?

Are we destined to do the same things over and over in this world? Are we meant to follow in our parents’ footsteps, no matter how much we promise ourselves that our kids will “have it better”? Do we need to do be like our elders, no matter how hard we try to set ourselves apart? In the new novel “Jump at the Sun” by Kim McLarin, three generations of women try to break a cycle that is breaking their hearts.

When the teacher’s son came to Rae on that hot Mississippi day in the field, Rae did exactly everything he wanted because she knew he wasn’t going to stay around that backwater Mississippi town forever.

He had dreams.

He had money.

He had ideas about Chicago or somewhere Big City.

He had no idea that he had gotten Rae pregnant, but when she came back to Mississippi, Rae held her head high as Hootie Taylor met her on the road. Hootie was “slow”, as they say, but he loved Rae – always had – and he promised her a house with real windows. He promised to love baby Mattie, too, even though she wasn’t his blood kin.

Rae had feelings for her daughter, but when Hootie died, she had no intention of spending her days picking cotton in somebody else’s field. Rae ran away from Mississippi to Memphis. Without a backward glance, she left little Mattie with Aunt Elba.

Years later, when Rae sent for Mattie, it was because Rae needed help raising her other children. There was fun to be had at night in Memphis. There were men for Rae to meet and dancing to be done. Rae went out at nights, leaving Mattie to care for the little ones. Mattie couldn’t wait to escape.

Escaping was accidental. So was motherhood.

Years later, when Grace’s two daughters pull her six different ways at one time, Grace wonders how her mother ever coped. Mattie raised four children almost by herself, and Rae was always on her doorstep, demanding time, attention, money. It was almost as if Mattie had a fifth child.

Having two children was more than Grace could handle, and she’s married. Now she may be pregnant.

Grace thinks about leaving her children. She could do it. Grandmother did, and it never hurt anyone, did it?

Can I tell you now how much I loved this book? Author Kim McLarin gracefully braids the lives of three generations of women who are vastly different but startlingly the same, and as the story leaps from decade to decade and mother to child to grandchild, you’ll be pulled right into the inferno that is their relationship. The reluctant love between family members and the pain they feel nearly radiates from the pages of this wonderful, complex novel.

If you’re looking for a book to take with you while you’re catchin’ rays this summer, snag this one. “Jump at the Sun” is a book you should definitely jump at.

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