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UPTOWN: A NOVEL - Virginia DeBerry & Donna Grant Simon & Schuster/Touchstone March 2010 |
SYNOPSIS: In Uptown a prominent Harlem family is strained to the breaking point by the high-stakes world of the Manhattan real estate industry, and one woman searches for her identity and the will to forgive.
MAINSTREAM FICTION |4| Darlene Mitchell
REVIEW:
Returning home to a Harlem she no
longer recognizes, to deal with a tragedy, leads Avery Lyons into a realm of
emotion and despair. Learning of her mother’s severe injuries from a car
accident, and rushing to be by her side, only to have her die sends Avery into a
stupor. Alone and responsible for settling her mother’s affairs, Avery finds
even the thought of associating with her corrupt family whose betrayal was the
reason she left twenty years ago, nauseating. Sharing a close bond and
relationship with Dwight growing up, only compounds Avery’s turmoil as his
betrayal sends her world into a tailspin and frenzy, shattering her will.
Inheriting a key piece of property Dwight desperately needs for his Uptown real
estate venture has payback opportunity knocking on her door.
Saying blood is thicker than water, is not what Dwight Dixon, Avery’s spineless,
self-serving, succeed at any cost cousin believes, whom she despises. Regretting
his weakness and lack of support for her years ago rests upon Dwight’s thoughts
briefly and then dissipates as he continues to be self-serving and obnoxious
while earning millions as one of the wealthiest Black men running a
multimillion-dollar real estate company. His dealings and connections with shady
people eventually reveal “what goes around comes around.”
Jasper Christmas is the honest, award winning reporter whose attraction to Avery
is very strong yet sincere. Meeting her while probing into the shady dealings of
Dwight and his associates confirms the attraction. However, Avery is not
interested in pursuing a relationship of any kind. That is until she needs a
friend and turns to Jasper. Befriending Avery sets the stage for him to show her
that life breathes more than anger, bitterness and betrayal…life also breathes
friendship and love.
Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant skillfully writes a well developed poignant
novel that does not sugarcoat the reality and fallout of family betrayals,
manipulations, dysfunctional relationships, secret lives, status, greed, power
and abuse, while also focusing on the strength and power of forgiveness.
Building dynamically strong characters helps to maintain the story’s continuity,
specifically when the weak grows strong and the strong gets its just due. Using
slumlords, low income families and real estate jargon also makes this story
believable. In the end, many characters learn that without family, life has
little value and no one to run to when it is dark and cold outside.
Uptown is a very entertaining novel that will leave you knowing
the key to happiness can only be found when one is willing to forgive and leave
the past behind.
reviewer@romanceincolor.com | 18th March 2010