This unusual urban tale from poet, essayist and novelist Major (An Open Weave) centers on an African-American family in San Francisco's rapidly changing Fillmore District. Administering a heavy dose of magical realism, the narration alternates between the voice of a 300-year-old ghost of an African slave and a more traditional third-person viewpoint (although the two often seem to merge). The extended Everman family includes Ranger, a Vietnam vet haunted by incidents during the war and plagued by drug addiction; his son, Jamal—known familiarly as "Sketch" for his artistic talents, which run deeper than the graffiti he tags on the streets; and Ranger's pregnant sister, Dawa, who recalls the ever-shifting history of their neighborhood. When a random act of violence strikes, their fractured past must be addressed head-on. Young Jamal, in particular, finds a way to better understand his father's place in the world, and thus gains a better sense of himself. Serving as a help line is eccentric neighbor Victoria, an old woman who paints herself white and communes with the spirit-narrator. Some readers will resist the otherworldly narration and symbolism, which can feel disjointed and heavy-handed; others will be intrigued by the depth and history it lends to modern-day San Francisco, the realities of racial prejudice and, above all, the many-layered truths of families. (May)
