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SIX O'CLOCK - Katrina Spencer Genesis Press/Indigo January 2009 |
SYNOPSIS: An African-American woman who lacks the desirable curves of her culture struggles to find love, and herself, in this compelling urban tale from a fresh new voice.
MAINSTREAM FICTION |4| Marguerite Lemons
REVIEW: Yolanda
Peterson has been a successful hairstylist at Behave, the upscale beauty salon
in Houston, TX, for several years. When she gets a coveted assistant management
position, working with the man of her dreams, you would think she’d be happy;
but Yolanda has had self-esteem problems for years. Yolanda has, what most
people would call, an overactive metabolism, and she has suffered through years
of emotional abuse by her father, classmates, co-worker’s and society in
general, due to her inability to gain weight.
Yolanda is a smart and successful woman who allows her new promotion and her
desire to fit in to cause her to lose focus of what is truly important in life.
It’s only when her self-esteem has been ripped to shreds and her career is
suddenly in jeopardy, along with her father’s life, that Yolanda finally stands
up for herself. She even helps the one person who has caused her the most pain
in her professional life.
SIX O’CLOCK
is a story about women and men who have an unrealistic view of what true beauty
entails. Yolanda is discriminated against because of her thinness, while her
best-friend is discriminated against for being overweight. Both of these women
are loving and smart, but Natalie has a greater sense of self, and allows no one
to “dull her shine”. The other characters have similar issues, one whom suffered
years of physical abuse as a child because of her looks, and is still trying to
overcome the effects of that on her life.
Ms. Spencer’s debut novel touches on the definition of beauty, by society’s
standards and our own personal desires. She has done an excellent job, weaving
the stories of multiple characters together, while allowing the reader to
sympathize and empathize with their struggles. I enjoyed the fact that she
allows you to see that even those who seem to be on top of the world can have
some secret taking a toll on their lives.
reviewer@romanceincolor.com | 11th January 2009