Customer Reviews

Darkest Child: A Novel

5 star:		(153)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Remember the 70's television comedy called Good Times? It seemed good things rarely happened to the Evans family and you frequently found yourself wishing for something great to happen that would whisk them out of their unfortunate existence. Well, The Darkest Child is like the literary equivalent of Good Times, except this story takes place in a house on Penyon Road, somewhere in the state of Georgia during the late 50's. And this time the sorrows and afflictions experienced by the family comes at the hand of the mother, Rosie, a woman who inflicted so much abuse on her ten kids that you cannot keep up.

The story is narrated by Tangy Mae, a fifteen year-old woman/child that the mother labels as ugly. The mother sleeps with men, chain smokes, drinks, cries, yells, and does all kinds of unusual and disturbing things that make the reader feel sorry for the kids and wonder about their eventual outcome.

The Darkest Child's strength lies in its commanding writing voice and vivid descriptions. Some of the painful scenes make you physically react, as if you're being abused instead of the children.

The worst thing about the book is there are far too many characters; you may not feel attached to each of them or remember which one is which, but the story is still compelling enough to keep you drawn to the characters' dilemma. In addition it would have been great if the mother's behavior was explained so the reader could know her motivations behind her horrendous actions.

This book is highly recommended because of its originality, excellent writing, and unpredictability, and because, as far as I know, there aren't too many books that can be compared to The Darkest Child. It is an engaging and dark read that won't be soon forgotten.

The Darkest Child is a powerful debut from Delores Phillips; one so strong, I think she should earn a nomination for "rookie author of the year," if such a category in literature exists. It is a harrowing saga set in the late 1950's in rural Georgia and narrated by a teenaged Tangy Mae Quinn. Tangy is child number seven from Rozelle (Rosie) Quinn, a beautiful woman who has slept with most of the men in the town resulting in marriage to no one and ten fatherless children by as many men. Rosie exhibits selfish, erratic behavior leading the reader to believe she is a paranoid schizophrenic, although she is never diagnosed as such in the novel. Rosie rules the household with an iron fist (and an occasional iron poker) and is mean-spirited and merciless. Partially because of her mental condition, Rosie brainwashes the children with biblical references to "Honor Thy Mother" which burdens them with an obligation to forfeit all earnings to Rosie and never abandon her.

Although Tangy is the lead storyteller, there are numerous characters with much drama of their own and a subplot surrounding the Civil Rights struggle and school integration. Phillips also adds the classic theme of "colorism", in which the options of dark-skinned women in a color-conscious, male-dominated society are limited; however in this novel, Tangy tries to overcome it via education. There are tantalizing family secrets and vivid descriptions of child abuse which elicits reader empathy for the characters. I felt the characters' pain as they struggled with suppressed anger/frustrations from the domestic situation with a manipulative, mad mother as well as the social situation regarding second-class citizenry in the segregated South.

This is a really good book if you like to read about African American familes and women's issues and struggles. However, I thought it could have been a great book if the cause of Rosie's dementia was revealed and had more closure on the outcome of key characters. Perhaps a sequel is forthcoming....if so, I would love to read it.

Phyllis
APOOO BookClub, The Nubian Circle Book Club

At thirteen, Tangy Quinn is the darkest of ten children by different fathers, born to a mother who could pass for white. She is easily the smartest, but her dark skin leaves her last in line for her mother's affections. While she longs to continue her education, her mother has other plans: Tangy is to join her cleaning houses for whites and then at the "Farmhouse," where Rozelle earns extra money bedding men. Amidst the poverty and racism of the 1950s South, Tangy and her siblings live in fear of their mother Rozelle's notorious temper. But Tangy's determined to make it despite her mother's plans for her.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it's truly a classic. I had this book for some time before finally reading it and I can kick myself for waiting so long to read it. It was outstanding!! Even though the book is called "The darkest child" all the children were treated horrible. My first thought was that Tangy Mae would be singled out because of her skin color, but she was in a family of 10 and they all suffered the wrath of that terrible mother. My heart bled for that family. No hell is hot enough for that "mother".

Delores Phillips did the thing in this book. It is especially good for a freshman effort. She has done an excellent job writing her first novel. This book really captivated me and had me wanting more. The details were so vivid, you felt as though you were a part of the story. Through out this book Mrs. Phillips touched base on child abuse, black on black racism, mental disorders, hearing impairment, murder, segregation movement, etc. I hope Delores Phillips continues writing books such as this one because it is far better than some books out there. Highly recommended.

The Darkest Child is about a sibling of ten, suffering in the unimaginable spoils of poverty, neglect, abuse all at the hands of an incorrigible mother.

Ms. Phillips is a talented writer and I will read her next work. However this story left too many unanswered questions and un-accounted for events. Main characters were built and let down to inconclusive endings. Detail in some areas caused the plot line to lag especially toward the end.

In other areas details would have been great to give the reader a sense of some motivation particularly for the mother. And I understand that the book was from the point of view of grammar school child who we managed to see grow up and graduate from high school, but it was established that this kid was exceptionally smart and this reader would have liked to have seen the author be creative in revealing some desireable information.

I will say that the author was exceptional with her scenic description often placing you right in the middle of the action.

This is the story of a dysfunctional family living in the Jim Crow south. Though the Quinn children are hindered by entrenched racism, the bulk of their suffering is inflicted by their mother Rozelle. Rozelle is a beautiful, but evil, woman who seems to delight in tormenting her children. She has beautiful clothing and stockings, while the kids are dressed in old, filthy rags. Their house is a raggedy shack, but she has a bed while the children sleep on the floor.

Rozelle has something like 10 kids all with different fathers and is about to give birth when the book opens. Tangy Mae, the darkest one, is doing well in school but her mother wants her to take over her cleaning job to bring some money in the house. This is the beginning of the end of Tangy Mae's innocence. I really hated how the mother kept calling Tangy Mae lazy and insisting that she would have to quit school. School was her only refuge from her miserable life.

The mother is a complicated character. She is a whore, yet she is always hollering about her children bringing shame on her. Rozelle even forces two of her daughters into prostitution -- one to get one of her brothers out jail. Rozelle acts like she hates her children, but she does not want any of them to leave her and is constantly talking about the sacrifices she's made to raise them. Never mind that this raising barely included decent shelter, clothing and food. The reader never finds out what's really wrong with Rozelle. Is she just mean, or does she have some undiagnosed psychological problem?

I found myself rooting for those children and hoped that they would be rescued. As much as I enjoyed the book, there are quite a few loose ends. Where are all these children's fathers? We read about a couple of men, but most are never mentioned. When Tangy Mae dares to point that out that to her younger brother it was like she'd committed blasphemy.

What happened to Rozelle? We are told a little bit about her conflict with her mother, but it's not enough to explain her later behavior. She is light enough to pass for white and has a major color complex and even refused the one man who was willing to marry her because he had dark skin. Rozelle was willing to creep around with him and spend his money though.

I would love to read a sequel to find out if those kids ever recover from their hard upbringing.

I loved this story. I was captivated from the very beginning. The author weaved words around her story that created an image, an image so clear, it was if you're there watching it all unfold with your own eyes.

I literally could not put the book down. Now that I'm down reading it, I can't get the characters out of my head. I find myself worried and thinking about those kids as if they were actual living and breathing beings. I don't believe there is a better testiment for the author or this story. I encourage you to read this book, you won't be disappointed.

AS THE NEW YEAR IS UPON US, I OFFICIALLY OFFER YOU MY LIST OF THE 10 BEST BOOKS THAT I'VE READ IN 2004. THIS IS OUT OF ABOUT 84 BOOKS THAT I'VE READ THIS YEAR. EVERY SINGLE BOOK ON THIS LIST IS A MASTERPIECE WORTH BUYING. YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED WITH GREAT LITERATURE LIKE THE FOLLOWING:

"THE DARKEST CHILD"--Delores Phillips

The finest, most dramatic debut I've read in years. Top notch and gut-wrenching. This is by far the best book of 2004.

"BRICK LANE"--Monica Ali

Superb entry into a world foreign yet all too familiar. Flawless, beautiful writing.

"HOTTENTOT VENUS"--Barbara Chase Riboud

A True Story. Which makes this book all the more shocking and tragic. By now you've heard of the kidnapped and dehumanized South African woman paraded in the 1800's Europe as a "freak" because of her huge posterior and the apron over her genitals. Chase Riboud chronicles the tale perfectly and makes it far more interesting than just history. The fact that "Sarah" was like a Pop Superstar of her day makes it all the more chilling in my opinion. A definite Must-Read.

"FLESH AND THE DEVIL"--Kola Boof

Totally original, unexpected black love story. Chock full of African history, U.S. black history, fantastic plot twists, pulsating sex, equally dazzling "lovemaking", brilliant observations about race, color and sexism and plenty of risk-taking by the sensational Sudanese-born Kola Boof, truly a NEW STAR in the "epic" sense. Fabulous!

"DOUGLASS' WOMEN"--Jewel Parker Rhodes

If ever a fictionalized story of a real person's life/real events makes you totally believe inch and detail of the fiction writer's imagination--this one is it!! Jewel Parker Rhodes is turning out to be one of our most ardent writers of historical fiction, her brevity and flair for honest human emotion making her just a little BETTER, in my opinion, than the queen of historical black fiction--Barbara Chase Riboud. You can't go wrong with "DOUGLASS' WOMEN", it's sensational.

"ERASURE"---Percival Everett

I know. I'm late reading this one. But it's classic, fantastic, the greatest book ever written about being a "black" writer today. SUPERB. 10 Stars.

"A DISTANT SHORE"--Caryl Phillips

Great novel about "human beings" ripped apart in their own world and then thrown together in new equally dreadful surroundings. A black man and a white woman are juxtaposed in England with terribly beautiful insight by the writer. It's a hard book to explain, except that it's about human beings finding their real true minds. Superb!!!! I give this one 10 stars.

"DRINKING COFFEE ELSEWHERE"--Z.Z. Packer

The breakout debut of the new Alice Walker and Toni Morrison rolled into one. Z.Z. Packer is outrageously talented and brilliant. These sparse, witty, intelligent, insightful short stories will bring you to tears, make you laugh and truly astonish you.

"THE KNOWN WORLD"--Edward P. Jones

This book starts off kind of "slow", but once you get into it, it's quite shocking, easily one of the most important stories told in a decade. Jones deserves all the accolades and awards he's received for this masterful masterpiece of the new century.

"LOVE"--Toni Morrison

Still the undisputable greatest writer writing. Toni Morrison offers up one of her very best novels, the most underrated and overlooked novel of the year. Absolutely meszmerizing, a bute.

WOW! That is what you say after the first chapter and again when you get to the last page. This is an amazing coming of age story narrated by then 13 year old Tangy Mae Quinn. Tangy is being brought up in rural GA circa 1954. This is not only a story of a young girl living in the home of a demented mother but also the struggle of survival in the racist south in the 1950's. First time author Delores Phillips does a beautiful job creating a picture in your head. There are a lot of charactors (Tangy is one of ten children), but I didn't have hard time keeping up with any of them and didn't ever feel like there were too many charactors. There were times while reading I laughed outloud and others I just wanted to cry for poor Tangy Mae. I will after say Rozell Quinn (Tangy's Mother) has got to be the most evil charactor I have ever read about besides the devil himself. She puts Mama Ruby in "The Upper Room" to shame by chapter three and if you haven't read "The Upper Room" I suggest you read that too! All in all this is a great debeut novel that is fast paced without a dull moment to spare. Please read and enjoy!

In many families, there is something, someone, broken beyond repair. Someone coiled and cutting like the spring in Tangy Mae's threadbare couch. In THE DARKEST CHILD, this person was Rozelle, the mother of young Tangy, the woman who, like one of the few pieces of furniture on Penyon road requires that all her children honor her, enduring the violence that is her love.

Though I will get to the tale of Tangy, Tarabelle, Mushy, Martha Jean, Harvey, Sam, Edna and Laura--yeah, I know 'em all--it's the untold tale of Judy, the true darkest child that echoed throughout the length of the story, which begins with Rozelle Quinn announcing her own death instead of Judy's life.

Tangy Mae is the next darkest after Judy. She's one of the negroes among her mother's children. The others are grouped into whites and Indians. Rozelle, known to her few friends and numerous enemies as Rosie, works her magic on her children from a young age, assuring them that "no one goes hungry in Georgia" despite their growling stomachs. From the only bed in their tin roof shack, Rosie hears every hope and kills it before it can grow into the ultimate rebellion--leaving her house.

One daughter, Mushy as she's called, has already escaped to Cleveland, only to return several times in attempts to save the younger siblings from the terrors she knows her mother has planned for them. Against a background of the Jim Crow Georgia in the 1950's, Philips tells the tale of the Quinn family in a clear, honest voice that both captivates and pains the reader. While at times Tangy is too busy surviving to feel her pain, one can't help but feel it for her. Not since CANE RIVER has a family so riveted me. I will be thinking about the Quinns, their home and the world that made them for a very long time.

Come to Pakersfield, Georgia and meet the Quinn family. Told from the point of view of Tangy, who happens to be "The Darkest Child" in the family. This family truly follows the "blood is thicker than mud" motto. Not only do they share lineage they are all victims of their mother's cruelty. Unfortunately we also find that not all of them have the ability to survive.

Growing up a Quinn child is a terrible burden to bear. Tangy's siblings all have a little of their mother in them and it's frightening. Her sister Tarabelle carries her mother's hatred. Mushie, the eldest who has moved away carries a love for drinking and other womens' husbands. Her brother Harvey is determined to beat his wife into submission. Martha Jean carries her mother's jealous streak. Laura is a master thief.

Roselle, their mother, is undoubtedly the most complex character you will meet. She is an entanglement of hatred, bitterness, evilness, craziness and cruelty wrapped up in the package of a beautiful woman. She is determined to keep her children under her reign of terror. But they have other plans. A string of events will cause her children to fall away in a domino effect; and even "the little metal box under the floorboards" won't be able to keep them in her grasp.

Delores Phillips' debut novel, The Darkest Child is nothing short of a masterpiece. Her writing style puts you in the mind of Toni Morrison and J. California Cooper. The Darkest Child will force emotions from you that are indescribable. Just when you think you can't cry anymore or when you finally feel that there is hope you realize you were wrong. Dark yet enlightening. Cold yet touching. Never before has a novel been written that finishing is required and no longer a choice.

Angie Pickett-Henderson
R.E.A.L. Reviewers