Daughter of My People makes a bold statement about the complexities of black and white relations in the South at the turn of the century. Even more boldly, it pulls the reader into the emotional pain caused by forbidden love. James Kilgo grew up in Darlington, South Carolina, and completed his Ph.D. at Tulane University in New Orleans. He lives in Athens, Georgia. James Kilgo's southern landscape is so accurately and richly depicted, the sights and sounds, the smells and summer heat seem to rise from the page.
Every line is a triumph.
James Kilgo's voice is honest and original. He's the novelist we've been waiting for. Here, as with Faulkner, goodness is static and bloodless, but sin brings life its moral dimension textured and provocative James Kilgo here demonstrates both insight and a rich sense of period. Especially haunting is his understanding of the twisted sexual dynamic underlying the racism of the time.