Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo

Back in 2020 Elizabeth Acevedo made me a fan with her entry in the A Phoenix First Must Burn anthology where her story Gilded was a standout and that had me rushing to read her other books that spring where she was a lockdown staple. So imagine my excitement when I found out she has sold her first adult novel? I received this book from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review.

Flor has always been able to see the deaths of others so when she decides to hold a living wake her family is unsure if she's predicted her own death or the death of someone close to her. We follow two generations of women as they reflect on their lives leading up to the wake. 

At first it took me some time to really get into it and be able to differentiate the sisters and daughters. And then some chapters were told from the perspective of Flor's daughter Oona, an anthropologist interviewing the other family members. She often tries to relate her studies back to her family. So the lines are blurred on if we're seeing their point of view or their story filtered through her. It also doesn't follow a linear timeline, often jumping to different decades and present day depending on which character is doing the reflecting. 

The writing in this book is not for everyone. It's slower paced, it's very different from her YA books. But there's something about these 6 women that just draws you in and has you continuing to turn the page. She doesn't hold back when talking about taboo subjects. The relationships these women have with each other and other members of their family aren't always pretty. There's heavy sexual content as she describes their desire in detail. Oona, who proclaims her vagina is blessed and has a fetish that might take you buy surprise.

These were Caribbean women through and through. And it was more than just their country upbringing that reflected that. They all possessed a special magic that isn't the magic that conjures images of witches like some might expect. I could see pieces of the women in my family reflected in some of these women. They came with familiar sounding stories of infidelity, struggles with fertility, ill treatment while trying to create a life for themselves, being the forgotten sister. And though these women start off feeling very similar it's easy to see where their experiences intersect but also take their own direction. 

I'll reiterate to not pick up this book expecting the adult version of her other books. This is her most ambitious one yet. I'd say if you were of a fan of books like Halsey Street this is something you'll enjoy.