Silenced

In Dupree’s unflinching depiction of life in inner-city Washington, D.C., 30-year-old Nicola “Cola” Hampton struggles to keep her family together. Told from the perspectives of both Cola and her young daughter, Teyona (“Tinka”), the novel opens with Cola losing her job and moving Tinka and her older sons—14-year-old Marquan and 12-year-old Taevon—into Sursum Corda, a notorious D.C. housing project. Cola desperately wants to prevent her children from making the same mistakes that she and their fathers have made: Marquan’s father is serving a life sentence for murder; Taevon’s is a womanizer; and Tinka’s has simply disappeared. Despite Cola’s best efforts, Marquan steals a car, is associated with a double homicide, and a few years later is charged with capital murder; Taevon deals drugs; and Tinka’s boyfriend robs liquor stores and gas stations. For much of the novel, Tinka avoids these perils, which makes her later stumbles all the more heartbreaking. Dupree’s (Robbing Peter) knack for dialogue and her insight and compassion for her characters inspire the reader’s empathy—an outstanding achievement. (Oct.)