Author: Wanda M. Morris
Publication: William Morrow, trade paperback, 2021
Genre: Suspense
Setting: Present-day Atlanta
My Impression: Ellie’s life is bookended by secrets: her long affair with her boss and the secrets of her abusive childhood in a rural Georgia town. She won a scholarship to a prestigious boarding school that led to Georgetown and Yale Law School but left behind her younger mother and mother, physically and mentally, in order to cloak her past with the upward mobility that got her a prestigious job and salary. When she finds out her brother has been dragged into shady activity at Houghton, she knows she has to find out what is going on, partly to make up for having abandoned him when she was a teen and even at the risk of her own life . . .
This is a fast-paced suspense novel with interesting perspectives on race and the legal profession itself, with many contradictions. Ellie loves her brother but tells her colleagues she was an only child - to protect her status. She is bitterly resentful at being called a “diversity experiment” by Houghton’s VP of Operations, but followed her married lover there from their previous law firm, despite the obvious conflict of interest and how it would look if anyone knew. No one at Houghton seems to value her for the right reasons:
“You know, Ellice, I think you could be exactly what this company needs right now. A strong, smart lawyer who can shake off the cobwebs on some of the folks around here. Isn’t that right, Willow?”Well, I have done a lot of diversity training; it is rare that senior management turns up to participate and I doubt it would have made a difference with this good ol’ boy CEO, anyway! The author is a lawyer in Atlanta herself so has doubtless heard comments like this and worse.
“I couldn’t agree more, Nate.” Willow never looked up as she brushed her hand across the hem of her sheath, as if she were flicking away invisible crumbs from her lap.
Nate winked again. “Look, I won’t lie. The fact that you’re black is like brown gravy on a biscuit.” He chuckled, amused by his own joke.
The company never did any diversity training and now it was showing.
4 comments:
Wow, that diversity dialogue. Do people really come out with things like that? I think I might be rather naive... This is probably not something I would pick up as I don't read a huge amount of modern crime (prefer vintage) but I did enjoy your review.
I saw on Tracy's blog that you're thinking about doing the Bingo reading challenge. I thought I would come and 'encourage' (LOL) you to join as it was certainly the most interesting challenge I did last year.
There aren't very many books with professional black heroines and I found two in a month, which is amazing.
Diversity training is very popular right now in large companies and it can be helpful, as you learn about biases you didn't know you had or showed and (it is to be hoped) stop behaving that way. I learned that noticing and correcting bad grammar is a way of "keeping people down." This puts me in a quandary as my department puts out a lot of flyers, newsletters, reports and some fail to use spellcheck or even ask a coworker to proofread. I do correct when I see and probably annoy everyone. Of course, there are far more egregious things people do or say. However, as one of my colleagues points out, if they required training on leadership or time management as well, we would all be better off!
I am looking at the Book Bingo but it might be too much effort!
You know I don't read much recent fiction, but I will be interested in reading this in the future. It seems to be doing well on Goodreads, so that is good for the author.
You're right. This does sound like one I'd enjoy. Ellie sounds like a strong, interesting character.
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