September has already started off with a book bang with Lazaretto by Diane McKinney-Whetstone. This is not a new novel. It was published back in 2016. I don’t know what it is with backlist books but they always seem to hit the sweet spot. These days there are so many books coming out that it’s hard to keep up and even when we do, once read they don’t often live up to the readers’ expectations.
Lazaretto is a novel set in Post-Civil War United States primarily in Philadelphia. McKinney-Whetstone is telling us the story of how difficult it was during this period for everyone. The novel opens with a young black woman called Meda who is delivering her baby in a clinic. She has been brought there by her employer, Tom Benin who is taking her there for an abortion. Needless to say he wasn’t aware of how far along she was and he is the reason she’s pregnant. It’s from the delivery of Meda’s baby that we follow a passionate story of unconditional love, brotherly love, family, and community.
Abraham Lincoln has just been assassinated after Meda delivers. Black people are worried about how they will advance. Immigration is prominent and racism is incessant. I can’t tell you much more than that without giving the storyline away. But, what I can’t tell you is that the author does a fantastic job of telling a story with many twists and turns through out that will keep you interested. The dialogues are few but they are very natural and authentic. However, the only thing that really fell down for me was the ending. It went too quickly and it doesn’t feel fully finished. I hesitated on whether to give it 4 or 5, so I opted for 4.5 stars because the writing was so good. This was one of the books I picked from my husband’s stack. My husband chose 12 books for me to read this year. They were all wrapped up so each month I pick one it’s a surprise.😅. As a matter of fact, I read another book by this author that was also from my husband’s stack called Leaving Cecil Street which I also enjoyed. It was an earlier work from Diane McKinney-Whetston, but was pure great storytelling in my opinion. It read more like very good quality contemporary, where as Lazaretto reads more like literary fiction.
Lazaretto is a real place located in Philadelphia and I must say it’s a very original setting for this story. Built in 1799, it was the second quarantine hospital (to fight against the spread of yellow fever) in the United States. It predates Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital and Angel Island. There is a beautiful sketch of the Lazaretto in the first few pages of the novel. That sketch would have made a gorgeous cover for the book. Lazaretto is the oldest surviving and the last surviving quarantine hospital in the United States.
Diane McKinney-Whetstone is a black American author who should be more read and talked about. She lives in Philadelphia. She began writing at 39 years old. Tumbling was her successful debut novel. She has written the following books:
- Tumbling, 1996
- Tempest Rising, 1998
- Blues Dancing, 1999
- Leaving Cecil Street, 2004
- Trading Dreams at Midnight, 2008
- ‘Philadelphia Blues’, 1998
- Our Gen, 2022
To learn more about Diane MLcKinney-Whetstone click the video below.
Lazaretto
Harper Collins, 2016
334 pages
Rating: 4,5 stars
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