Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones  (Possible Spoilers)

Love this story and our book club discussion is going to be very interesting!

One of the things I like about Tayari Jones’ writing is the voices she gives her characters and how authentic they seem. In all three of her novels, I can picture her reading in those voices and making the story truly come alive. FYI – I met Tayari when she was promoting Leaving Atlanta and she was at local independent bookstore here in Montgomery. To this day, the one thing I remember is the animated voice she gave to her characters from that novel; she is one author who does a great reading.



This story is broken into two parts Dana and Chaurisse. The opening line was poignant because it propelled you towards a story we may have already seen play out or know someone who has been in similar circumstances. I don’t want to give away too much of the story but know it deals with bigamy, infidelity, self-worth, legitimacy and other deeply rooted issues. Dana’s character gave me a real insight into how a child, who must be kept a secret, deals with the choices her parents made and its effect on her emotionally. I felt for Dana’s character on several levels, but mostly the feeling of wanting the security in knowing her father loved her unconditionally. Chaurisse’s character was also strong because she had to face some unpleasant truths about the life as she knows it, I loved that she was angry and defiant and I could empathize with what she was dealing with.

When I finished this story, I was in tears and very angry with James. Somewhere between the last pages and remembering my own life the dislike of my own father trickled within me and I understood so clearly how much Dana hurt, because I do not understand the inability of a man to not acknowledge his child. How does a real man sleep at night or teach his son’s to be a man if he has never “manned up”?


The characters grew up during the same timeframe as I did so of course I could identify with the music, television and clothing of the time. Jones had me relieving my school years with the authenticity. The story moved in an exacting pace and built up to its climax, which I wasn’t quite sure how it would go, but I knew a revelation would come and Jones did it right. Silver Sparrow is well-written, with lyrical moments and poignant truths and no unrealistic fairytale ending.


Rating:  4.5