~ Review: Ida B ~

   IDA B - Karen Quinones Miller

   Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books

   0-74326-001-5

  August 2004

SYNOPSIS: In a modern take on the classic adage, "There's no place like home," three resilient friends and neighbors look out for one another as best they can.

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE:  (3) Alvin Romer

REVIEW:  Best selling author Karen Quinones-Miller brings us her latest book, IDA B.  This is a mediocre story about the residents of the Ida B Barnett Wells Tower, a less than perfect dwelling for low income families that is the forefront of chance and change.  The setting is the Harlem inner city involving the lives of the three main characters Brenda, Rosa and Sharif.  Their trials and tribulations are exposed as the author gives voice to their characters living in an environment they long to escape.

Understanding the book is to get a bead on the aforementioned characters. Brenda is an aspiring writer whose talent is supplanted by a lack of confidence.  She’s also a caring mother of four on welfare.  Rosa the Puerto Rican, is an acerbic actress wannabe while Sharif is a gay political activist whom everyone respects, but has flaws he’s hard pressed to overcome.  In a supporting role is a young flip gangsta-type who secretly excels at science; a grandmother who sells stolen goods out of her apartment; and Miss Jackie, a conniving, instigating alcoholic.  The sub-characters make enough appearances that tend to add flavoring, but the book suffers from a slow and tedious start that had me wondering when the punch line would occur to take it to another level.  The author tries to make up for this by evoking animated metaphor in dialectic inferences to beget gossip, teasing, and the in your face derring-do.

Midway through the story the author decides to have someone murdered which affects the building’s fate, along with a few insignificant incidents that doesn’t enhance the story.  A series of events force the main characters to form a coalition to protect and shield the promising future of Ricky, a young child.  The plot thickens, however, when Ricky is traumatized by the recent loss of his mother, becomes missing and is subsequently found dead in the building.  Bootsy (Brenda’s son) witnesses a former resident retaliate against the murderer resulting in a plot twist.  As one reads this story, there are questions that are bound to be asked, and the answers given do not balance the story sufficiently to support the slow buildup to any perceived climax.  I longed to know: Will Rosa make it as an actress?  Will Brenda ever finish her book?  Will Sharif come to his senses and make a change for the better?  Better yet, does this story compare favorably with the autho’s past works?  I’m convinced that this is not her best effort, but her legion of fans may undoubtedly add this to their collection.

I rated this book 3 out of 5 stars and commend the author for shifting gears in the latter stages of the book, giving it more clarity.  As such, the virtues of a group of determined people rallying behind a common cause are usually fodder for a good premise.  I look forward to more writings from Karen Quinones-Miller.

alvin@romanceincolor.com (12th July 2004)