The Untelling by Tayari Jones

The Untelling

Tayari Jones

When Ariadne was nine, a car accident destroyed her family, killing her father and baby sister. But life in Atlanta goes on, and at 25, she dreams of a fresh start with a family of her own. A beautifully moving story of learning to live with loss and guilt and everything else life throws at you.

Extract
But now I was a grown woman. More than a fourth of my life was gone, assuming that I would live a normal life span. When my father was my age, his life was three-quarters gone. I was ready to start my own life, have my own family. After this baby, when people asked, 'Do you have a family?' I would say yes and tell them about Dwayne and the baby. I would not mention my mother, or my sister, or the ones who were dead. I could answer without acknowledging any of them and this would not be a lie.
Parallels
  • Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by Z Z Packer
  • Leaving Atlanta by Tayari Jones