The Kitchen House

I don't often read newly published books. It takes me awhile to get interested; I usually want to read a couple of reviews or get a personal recommendation from someone especially if it's fiction. I spied "The Kitchen House" by Kathleen Grissom at my local library, though, and since this little library has a pretty limited selection (seems like it's mostly romance novels and popular fiction that you can buy at Wal-Mart), I decided to give it a try. It's set on a small Virginia plantation circa 1790-1810. The story revolves around Lavinia, a white servant girl given to a black slave, Belle, to raise. Lavinia comes to love Belle, Mama, Papa, and Uncle Jacob as her family; it's not until she marries the Master's son that she realizes that she must reject her black family in order to exist in the white world. The book jacket describes the story as 'tragic,' and indeed, as I shed tears before I finished the fourth chapter, I knew this description was correct. The story contains love and hate, drug and alcohol addiction, sexual abuse, rape, violence and cruelty that leave the reader gasping. It could all read like a bad melodrama, but the author's skillful use of language and storytelling that has the events revealed from both Lavinia and Belle's point of view keep it grounded and balanced. Life was hard, but there was joy as well. Love was shared irregardless of color. Family was all-important. If your book club is looking for a read to stimulate conversation on race and family, this is a good choice. If you're just looking for a good read, it's a good choice as well.