‘My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist.’
This is the breathtaking story of a man’s deception, a family’s complicity, and the two teenage girls caught in the middle. James Witherspoon has two families, one public, the other a closely guarded secret. But when his daughters meet and form a friendship, only one of them knows the truth. Theirs is a relationship destined to explode.
I am so excited today to share my thoughts on this absolutely stunning novel, thanks to One World Publications for inviting me to be a part of the tour, as well as gifting me a hardback copy of Silver Sparrow in preparation of the tour. So, Silver Sparrow is out in hardback today, if you think this one floats your reading boat, you can grab your own stunning copy here!
Silver Sparrow is the newest novel written by Tayari Jones, her previous UK released book An American Marriage was published last year and went on to win the Women s Prize for Fiction 2019.
Tayari Jones is the internationally bestselling author of four novels. Jones is the recipient of the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, a United States Artist Fellowship, NEA Fellowship and a Radcliffe Institute Bunting Fellowship. She is also a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. Born in Atlanta, Jones is a graduate of Spelman College, University of Iowa, and Arizona State University. She is currently professor of Creative Writing at Emory University and an Andrew Dickson White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University.
Silver Sparrow had me completely bewitched by Tayari’s exquisitely beautiful penmanship, the poetic prose had me lured into a domestic situation by the heartstrings that were tugged by Dana who is a child caught up in a web of deceit that her innocence just does not understand. The vivid development of the characters made me envision the perfectly, from James’ stuttering voice, to the questioning tone in Dana’s voice that as the story unravelled became more and more rebel like – like her mothers. I was hit several times in all the feels, I felt for the daughters – I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for them, one more than the other because of the scales of truth, to hold that information while yearning for a friend, a sister to understand you, I have never felt so much loneliness from a character.
I was mesmerised by the unfolding storyline, I carried the book everywhere with me, even downloading it onto my kindle so I could read in the dark in bed! I was hooked! The story of Dana and Chaunesse was one that had me edging towards the edge of my seat. The narrative isn’t one of a linear nature, it’s told in both the present, as well as with flicks to the past, this not only allows the depth of the storyline and adds some extra heart into the story but it also allows you to connect emotionally with the characters as well as understanding the events prior to the arrival of the daughters. The peaks of the past and the flip in narrative viewpoints are well written, they fitted in with the flow of the storyline and was written in such a way that the reader doesn’t become confused on whose voice they are hearing – that being said, each character does have their own distinguishing voice which is great!
Silver Sparrow is a touching story about the family ties that bind us, while being wrapped up in a web of disloyalty and deceit. The symbolism, that I felt echoes throughout, was that of sparrows, both in singular and plural terms. Singularly, I felt that the symbolism of sparrow referred to Dana – insignificance. Although the apple of her mother’s eye, Dana felt insignificant in her fathers – she felt hidden, misunderstood and unloved by a man that she was biologically connected to. Whereas, on the otherhand, I felt Chaunesse personified the plural symbolism of sparrows, powerful – which she is – she has access to the opportunities and a tight, loving family unit that Dana could only dream of, Both girls are the flip side of the same coin. Now do yourself a favour and grab yourself a copy today!
Have you missed the previous posts for this blog tour? If so you can catch up on the previous ones from amazing bloggers using #SilverSparrow! Thanks again to One World Publications for the opportunity to review, especially on publication day!
Until next time,
Happy reading!
The Reading Closet 