The Untelling (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "I still live in Atlanta..." (more)
Key Phrases: Little Link, Miss Aria, West End (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The legacy of a fatal accident haunts surviving family members in Jones's deep-felt second novel (after Leaving Atlanta). As a young girl, native Atlantan Aria Jackson lost her father and baby sister in a car accident; her inability to comfort her dying father, and her mother's failed effort to save the baby, have damaged their relationship. After graduating from Spelman, Aria goes to work at a local literacy center, where she is drawn to outspoken Keisha Evers, a young teen pregnant with her second child. When Aria believes she is pregnant, she confides in Keisha before sharing the news with her fiancé, Dwayne. But when mysterious cramping sends her to the doctor, Aria learns that she is not pregnant but instead experiencing very early menopause. Reluctant to tell Dwayne the truth, Aria claims to have lost the baby. Dwayne's desire for a child remains strong, and Aria watches with growing envy as Keisha's pregnancy progresses. When a second doctor confirms Aria's condition, she is forced to make difficult choices with the shadow of her past looming over her. The first-person narration is convincing and genuine, and Jones handles her material with sensitivity and sympathy. This strong sophomore effort will bolster her reputation. (Apr. 18)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–When nine-year-old Ariadne Jackson loses her father and baby sister in an auto accident, her life in a black middle-class Atlanta neighborhood changes forever. Her eccentric mother grows more erratic, locking Aria and her surviving sister, Hermione, out of the house on Halloween or serving them raw chicken as a punishment for bad behavior. These little cruelties push Hermione to distance herself from the family, leaving Ariadne to fend for herself. Years later, at 25, Aria believes she has surmounted the traumas of her youth, until she thinks she is pregnant but instead finds that she is infertile. Her life becomes layered with lies and half-truths as she fears she will lose the promise of family and a normal life. It is the untelling of these tales that leads her finally to accept the odd turns a life may take. Teens will appreciate Ariadne's dilemma as she wrestles first with the implications of a child out-of-wedlock and then the more difficult truth that she will never bear her own children. They will also understand how she must unravel the untruths she has told, just as her namesake in Greek mythology unrolled a length of string to rescue her lover from a deadly maze.–Pat Bangs, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books (April 18, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446532460
• ISBN-13: 978-0446532464
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #606,705 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Twisted Lie, April 17, 2005

By	The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

Tayari Jones tells a poignant tale of love and loss in her sophomore novel, THE UNTELLING. Its theme revolves around the "lie" that the dogwood tree is stunted and gnarled because its wood was used to construct Jesus' cross.

The telling of lies and the keeping of secrets has twisted something inside the women of the Jackson family. Aria believes she is pregnant and is overjoyed and ready to begin a new phase in her life. Regrettably, unforeseen circumstances cause her to tell a painful lie that is bound to be uncovered. Eloise has constantly preached to her daughters the necessity of living a responsible life, but has kept a secret for many years that has warped her maternal perspective. Hermione is the lone voice of reason calling out to her mother and sister in the wilderness, desperately trying to impart a semblance of reality. But neither is willing to sacrifice her artificial existence, so Hermione has semi-alienated herself from the family.

Comfortable, and at the same time, literary, THE UNTELLING is a story that will touch the emotions of mothers and daughters who have struggled in a timeless quest for mutual validation. Tayari Jones has done an excellent job of characterization, from Cynthia, the neighborhood crackhead in pursuit of a lost "rock" among the gravel in Aria's driveway, to Keisha, the pregnant teen struggling to get a GED so she can get a job anywhere besides Subway. This novel is big on the literary side, and more thought-provoking than exciting. Literary lovers will revel in the angst and introspection Jones offers and eagerly await her next work.

Reviewed by Kim Anderson Ray
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book, August 13, 2005

By	Ratmammy "The Ratmammy" (Ratmammy's Town, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

THE UNTELLING by Tayari Jones
August 12, 2005

Amazon rating 4/5 stars

In the UNTELLING by Tayari Jones, a tragic accident takes the life of a father and his infant daughter. At the time, Aria Jackson was 9 years old. Besides Aria, her mother and her sister Hermione were also in the car. The story is told by Aria (Ariadne), and the reader will see how the accident shapes their lives.

Now an adult, Aria is involved with a man that she hopes will become her husband. She's 25 and still feels the scars of the accident. It affects her attitude and her views of the world. She feels that life never goes the way she wants, and envies everyone else around her, including her best friend Rochelle, who was adopted into a very wealthy African American family. Aria thinks her own life may be turning around for the better with her boyfriend Dwayne, until she finds that she's pregnant.

This book worked on various levels. It's the story of Aria and her viewpoint of the accident versus what really happened. But the book also was about the many relationships that Aria had with those around her, especially with her mother and her sister, both of whom were also in that same accident. One will sense that Aria had a lot of growing up to do, as she was constantly feeling sorry for herself, while her sister went away and made a life for herself, marrying their father's best friend. Aria lives in the bad side of town with her best friend, despite the fact that Rochelle has her family's financial support - they could have lived in a much better neighborhood. I found that Aria always found ways to put herself in situations that would make her feel sorry for herself, in some ways attracting attention from others because of the life she led. But in other ways I liked Aria. She was willing to learn and grow. She learns a valuable lesson with her relationship with Dwayne, the result of which leads the reader to the end of the story.

I hope to read more by Tayari Jones. She has a way with words - the book was short, but yet she packed in a lot of living in these 300 or so pages. A very fast read, but definitely not a fluff read. THE UNTELLING had a lot of depth to its story telling, and I enjoyed it a lot.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To tell or not to tell, July 27, 2005

By	Nicole McCurty (Chesapeake, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What happens when we keep secrets from our family and friends? This is the question that is explored in The Untelling by Tayari Jones. Aria Jackson's life was dramatically changed after the tragic car accident which killed her father and baby sister. After the accident, Aria and her older sister, Hermione struggled to stay afloat in the same house with their mother who was an emotional wreck. Now on her own, Aria has carved out a comfortable life for herself working at a literacy center, sharing a house with her best friend, and a relationship with a reliable man who she loves, Dwayne. Just when things seem to be going smoothly, Aria receives some devastating news. Should she keep this information to herself or tell the secret that could push away the person that she loves?

The Untelling deals with many different relationship issues between family, friends and lovers. Just like in Leaving Atlanta, Jones has a knack for creating main characters to whom I can relate even when we do not share the same experiences. Aria's "secret" is a topic that is not typically discussed in African American communities. Through my book club's discussion, I was shocked to learn that it is more prevalent than I thought. This novel also addresses the issues of the gentrification of neighborhoods across the United States. In making the areas nicer, the long time residents were forced to find somewhere else to live.

This novel is an excellent selection for book clubs because of the many issues, family and community it deals with. I know I personally was enlightened by the discussions my book club had regarding this book. I look forward to the next release by Jones.

Reviewed by Nicole
APOOO BookClub