Family Affairs

With a successful New York City art gallery, a beautiful young daughter and a dedicated lawyer boyfriend ready to propose, Gayla Patton seems to have it all. But, David Kinney, a controversial new artist with a criminal history he wants to put behind him, is about to force Patton to confront their shared past. He was taken in as a young boy by her parents and spent a memorable summer living with a wealthy white family for whom Patton's mother worked. As the pair initially regress to their negative childhood perceptions and resentment of each other, Kitt (The Color of Love) successfully raises issues of race and class alongside the powerful emotion Kinney elicits in Patton. Kitt provides seamless transitions between the present narrative and flashbacks, giving a sense of unusual depth and sympathy to her widely diverse characters--all the while providing the necessary background for a realistic yet surprising turn of events. (May)