An Open Weave

Vivid, concise descriptions of revelatory moments distinguish major's first novel, which otherwise suffers from lack of narrative momentum. In the Western town of Buttonhole, a small group of friends and family prepares for a birthday party. Awaiting the return of the teenage Imani, who has disappeared with her troubled, pregnant friend, Amanda, are Imani's grandmother, Ernestine More, the blind matriarch known for her powerful beliefs and intricately woven fabrics, and her mother, Iree, who suffers from prophetic but debilitating seizures. Also present are Ernestine's brother, Jeremiah, a local handyman, and two family friends. To pass the time, the would-be partyers tell stories about their pasts and remember Ernestine's son, Ezekiel, who vanished years ago under suspicious circumstances but who remains for Ernestine the bulwark that ``shores up a family splintered and stunted.'' The group also reminisces about the close friendship between Imani and Amanda, who, as she prepares for her baby, must resolve her feelings about having been abandoned by her mother, unacknowledged by her father and left to grow up in others' homes. Iree's climactic vision and Amanda's health crisis abruptly close the narrative, which comes off like a collection of short stories bound together by a plot line that is neither consistently interesting nor clear. Some of these stories are gems, but a less cluttered setting would have made them shine all the more. (Sept.)