Don't Cry for Me: A Novel
Don't miss Daniel Black's next novel Isaac's Song coming January 2025
From the Georgia Author of the Year Award Winner
NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK IN ESSENCE MAGAZINE, THE MILLIONS AND BOOKISH
"Don't Cry for Me is a perfect song."--Jesmyn Ward
A Black father makes amends with his gay son through letters written on his deathbed in this wise and penetrating novel of empathy and forgiveness, for fans of Ta-Nehisi Coates, Robert Jones Jr. and Alice Walker
As Jacob lies dying, he begins to write a letter to his only son, Isaac. They have not met or spoken in many years, and there are things that Isaac must know. Stories about his ancestral legacy in rural Arkansas that extend back to slavery. Secrets from Jacob's tumultuous relationship with Isaac's mother and the shame he carries from the dissolution of their family. Tragedies that informed Jacob's role as a father and his reaction to Isaac's being gay.
But most of all, Jacob must share with Isaac the unspoken truths that reside in his heart. He must give voice to the trauma that Isaac has inherited. And he must create a space for the two to find peace.
With piercing insight and profound empathy, acclaimed author Daniel Black illuminates the lived experiences of Black fathers and queer sons, offering an authentic and ultimately hopeful portrait of reckoning and reconciliation. Spare as it is sweeping, poetic as it is compulsively readable, Don't Cry for Me is a monumental novel about one family grappling with love's hard edges and the unexpected places where hope and healing take flight.
From the Georgia Author of the Year Award Winner
NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK IN ESSENCE MAGAZINE, THE MILLIONS AND BOOKISH
"Don't Cry for Me is a perfect song."--Jesmyn Ward
A Black father makes amends with his gay son through letters written on his deathbed in this wise and penetrating novel of empathy and forgiveness, for fans of Ta-Nehisi Coates, Robert Jones Jr. and Alice Walker
As Jacob lies dying, he begins to write a letter to his only son, Isaac. They have not met or spoken in many years, and there are things that Isaac must know. Stories about his ancestral legacy in rural Arkansas that extend back to slavery. Secrets from Jacob's tumultuous relationship with Isaac's mother and the shame he carries from the dissolution of their family. Tragedies that informed Jacob's role as a father and his reaction to Isaac's being gay.
But most of all, Jacob must share with Isaac the unspoken truths that reside in his heart. He must give voice to the trauma that Isaac has inherited. And he must create a space for the two to find peace.
With piercing insight and profound empathy, acclaimed author Daniel Black illuminates the lived experiences of Black fathers and queer sons, offering an authentic and ultimately hopeful portrait of reckoning and reconciliation. Spare as it is sweeping, poetic as it is compulsively readable, Don't Cry for Me is a monumental novel about one family grappling with love's hard edges and the unexpected places where hope and healing take flight.
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Community Reviews
This story is so beautifully written. This story touched my heart in so many places… I understand the father’s struggles through life and how he raised his son. But struggled with the father. It being able to break the generational curses he endured before his end came. The love he had for his son and his son for him but they couldn’t never connect
My thing with Jacob is he never really tried to be better. He was on his dying bed down to the last pages thinking about himself and how others would perceive him and that’s exactly why Isaac didn’t want anything to do with him. The letter was for him not for Isaac!
As I read, I couldn’t help but think of my own brother and father who have no relationship. Being a first hand witness to such a strained dynamic made this book a bit realer than I would have expected. Of course, as a woman I never spent much thought on the expectations a man has of his son, therefore I would have never fully understood. As the child of an emotionally avoidant father, my daddy issues were triggered.
By the end, I found myself almost sympathizing with Jacob. Almost. Do I think a man who consciously passes on generational trauma deserves the end Jacob received? Yes. Do I think a man who justifies that by saying he meant well, because he did want a father is supposed to do? Still yes. Admittedly, he waited until it was far too late and he passed the point of no return.
This trope—letters? deathbead? (Idk, I’ll look that up)—made its first introduction to me here. I expected less dialogue, however, I became more appreciative of that. Usually, I wouldn’t like the mention of every small detail in books, I did not mind that here. All in all, I enjoyed every minute, I really can appreciate when a book makes me shed a few tears.
I’m writing this review with tears in my eyes. Reading this book was an incredibly moving experience. The emotional depth and authenticity of Jacob’s letters resonated strongly with me and the complexities of my own family relationships. No one can make you happy if you are determined to be miserable.
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