Incest, History and Self Discovery

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	• Nowhere Is a Place Bernice L. McFadden, 2006 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 27 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

'The way out is back through.'

"Nowhere is a Place" is a beautifully written story within a story. With amazing skills as a storyteller, Bernice McFadden takes us all on a cross-country trip of self-discovery. Come experience the heartwarming story of a family that will bring tears to your eyes... tears of sorrow, laughter, and joy! As you travel with Sherry and Dumpling, you will see that Nowhere is the center of everywhere!

Sherry is motivated by the memory of a slap from her ex-husband, (which reminds her of the first and only other slap she received as a child). The pain takes her on a quest... to the source - her mother, Dumpling, and inevitably to the source of Dumpling's pain. They come to realize that 'the way out' of their emotional pain is 'back through'... and all roads lead to the past.

The journey takes Sherry and Dumpling, from Paradise, NV to Sandersville, GA. The cross-country road trip takes both women to a reunion with ancestors through the oral story told by Dumpling (italics) and the written saga transcribed by Sherry. The story touches their lives so deeply. By the end of the trip, they have begun a healing process that neither imagined.

"Nowhere is a Place" is another powerful tale by Bernice McFadden that oozes with rich family heritage!

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Strikes all the right notes.

McFadden's writing is like musical notes, imagery as mesmerizing
as conductor's wand. Nowhere is a Place brings to mind Octavia Butler's "Kindred" with the juxtaposition of time and place. The plantation scenes are brutal and sadistic; the relationship between the protagonist Sherry and her mom Dumpling were simmering and tense. I had the special treat of listenig to Nowhere is a Place on BBC Books on CDs!

A must read.

Robyn McGee,author
Hungry for More: A Keeping it Real Guide for Black Women on Weight and Body Image
www.robynwrites.com

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Excellent

Absolutely amazing. Ms. McFadden has proven to be a very talent writer and I enjoyed this book so much. The slavery details were pretty hard to digest but that is part of history and needs to be told. I loved the way she traced the family tree. She did an amazing job and I highly recommend this book. Keep up the good work.

Incest, History and Self Discovery

Incest, history and self discovery are all addressed in this well written and quite entertaining novel. Our heroine, Sherry, is a well educated young woman who has been in several relationships which have left her scarred. Her relationship with her mother is not very good either. when she finds herself about to become a mother, she decides to make one last effort to reach out to her own mother, and to get an understanding of the reason her mother had slapped her across the face when she was only five years old. Apparently that inccident had haunted her all her life because her mother had never explained why she had been slapped. Mother and daughter travel together by road from Nevada to a family reunion in Georgia. The journey lasts several days during which time they both revisit their family history, and Sherry finally finds answers to her questions, and a deeper understanding of her mother. The story within a story is not an easy format for a novel but McFadden handles it with aplomb. If you enjoyed "Sugar" you will definitely enjoy "Nowhere is a place."

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All In the Family

Constantly moving from place to place and pursuing new occupations, Sherry finally settles in Mexico to heal from a tumultuous interracial relationship. Haunted by an unwarranted slap, she and her mother have a strained relationship. In an attempt at making peace with herself, she decides it is time to develop a closer relationship with her mother. She calls and asks Dumpling if she would like to travel with her to attend their family reunion.

The road trip covers several states from Nevada to Georgia and takes several days. Along the way, Sherry prompts her mother to discuss their family history. Dumpling starts their history back to when their ancestors were slaves in Africa. Chronicling their ordeal as slaves and then free men, she brings the story up to recent times. With the information her mom shares, Sherry creates her own version of the accounts, which she relays to her mother. Dumpling is very impressed with the tale she is weaving and in the process each one learns things about each other that they didn't know. There is healing and acceptance when the reason for the slap that separated mother and daughter is manifested.

Bernice McFadden has a literary classic in NOWHERE IS A PLACE. Her writing style is lyrically and rhythmically intriguing. This is a well-conceived and skillfully executed novel. McFadden's storytelling is such that the reader is treated to a novel within a novel. Many readers will be able to relate to the strained familial relationship and hopefully learn the value of family found within the pages of the book. The novel is compelling and provides insight into the bonds that families share. I would highly recommend reading this book.

Reviewed by Paula Henderson
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

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reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4, 5, 6

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