Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book.
This is a book pulled right out of today's immigration conversations. Jendi and Neni come to New York City from Cameroon in Africa to live the American dream and provide a better life for their son. Unfortunately, this is right before the Great Recession. Jendi had found a job as a chauffer for Clark Edwards, a Lehman Brothers executive. Neni is going to school part-time with hopes of becoming a pharmacist. She also works for the Edwards family during their summer vacation in the Hamptons as a housekeeper and nanny to their young son.
This story is beautifully written and an amazing debut novel. It would be a wonderful book club selection with so many things to discuss - class differential, cultural differences, parenting, marriage. I would have given it 5 stars if I liked the characters a bit more. There were things I loved about them but enough jarring behavior that made me feel a bit distant from them.
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