Lent, a white writer, is able to see the racial divide from both sides of the chasm, as well as from down its passionate middle. This is no first-time novel, or at least it doesn't act like one. This is brilliant. Norman and Leah marry and return to Norman's Vermont home. While the novel follows their family through two more generations, into the Depression, it never strays far from its dark Carolina beginnings, driving first Leah and then their grandson back to discover the truth of their roots.
Generational novels are always the trickiest to handle.
Generally, the initial characters are the most interesting, and when they die off, the novel sags on the backs of its grandchildren. But Lent pulls the form off masterfully, giving each generation its own story while drawing the secret of Leah's past through the story like a street trickster pulling a paper dollar on a string. This is one time you can believe the hype.