cover image Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny

Jewelle Francis. Berhane Publications, $2.99 e-book (277p) ASIN B0095W7I3G

In counselor and social worker Francis’s debut novel, 15-year old Destiny is a juvenile delinquent and party girl, embroiled in a world of drinking, sex, and drugs, trying to cope with the psychological burdens of an absentee mother jailed for drug-related crimes and the abusive grandmother with whom she lives. When her mother, Valerie, returns home after prison, Destiny’s life turns upside down. The two immediately clash as Valerie tries to put discipline back into her daughter’s life. Francis’s writing does not capture the harshness of her characters’ lives; the tone seems artificial and the dialogue doesn’t ring true. Destiny’s tone and diction make her sound older (“Smokey Robinson croons seductively in the background, urging some woman to go ‘cruising’ with him; sounding like liquid soul”), and she oscillates between knowing too much (“I’m intrigued with structural design because with it, you can create your own reality”) and being wide-eyed and innocent (“As we danced, I felt like Cinderella at the ball”). While Francis’s background clearly informs her subject matter, this gritty story’s drawbacks detract from its impact. Ages 14–up. (BookLife)