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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
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REDWOOD COURT

DeLana R. A. Dameron

A breathtaking debut novel-in-stories about one unforgettable Southern Black family, seen through the eyes of its youngest daughter as she comes of age in the 1990s.
Growing up on Redwood Court, the cul-de-sac in the working-class suburb of Columbia, South Carolina where her grandparents live, Mika learns important, sometimes difficult lessons from the people who raise her: Her exhausted parents, who work long hours at multiple jobs while still making sure their kids experience the adventure of family vacations; her older sister, who, in a house filled with Motown would rather listen to Alanis Morrisette, and can't wait to taste real independence; her retired grandparents, children of Jim Crow, who realized their own vision of success when they bought their house on Redwood Court in the 1960s, imagining it filled with future generations; and the many neighbors on the Court who hold tight to the community they've built, committed to fostering joy and love in an America so insistent on seeing Black people stumble and fall.

Dameron's prose is clear, visceral, and lyrical, lulling the reader to fall in love of each of the compelling characters making it one of those books that is hard to stop reading. The further you read, the more you recognize the traits and habits of this indelible cast, especially the wide-eyed Mika absorbing her family stories like a sponge.

DéLana R.A. Dameron is a graduate of New York University's MFA program. Her debut poetry collection, How God Ends Us, was selected by Elizabeth Alexander for the 2008 South Carolina Poetry Book Prize, and her second collection, Weary Kingdom, was selected by Nikky Finney for the Palmetto Poetry Series. Her work has appeared in the Kweli Journal, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. Dameron is the founder of arts nonprofits Red Olive Culture Commons, a fundraising consulting agency, and Black Art Futures Fund, a philanthropic initiative supporting small and community-based Black organizations.
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Book

Published 2024-02-06 by Dial Press

Book

Published 2024-02-06 by Dial Press

Comments

The lives of several generations of a southern Black family are dramatized in interconnected stories in poet Dameron's captivating fiction debut ... Each story is anchored by a distinct, clear voice, and Dameron has a gift for quiet, eloquent observations that enrich scenes of everyday experiences.

Redwood Court is a generously transportive novel, one that thoughtfully renders not only each of its characters, but also the nuances of its geographies. The language within echoes, feels familiar and warm. This book carried me to a joyful elsewhere.

Redwood Court is an example of storytelling at its best: tender, vivid, and richly complicated. A triumph of a debut.

Redwood Court is a beautiful exploration of a family putting down roots despite the world being against them and their choosing to love one another - the broken parts and the whole - with every breath in their lungs and every beat of their enormous, powerful hearts. I found this family's story deeply moving.

In these pages, DéLana R.A. Dameron expertly weaves threads of grace, grit and grief into a tapestry that captures the beauty of not just one particular family, but family in general; what it means to be a part of one, and what a haven it can provide in a harsh world. This novel is a heartrending celebration of the ties that bind, and a poetic one at that.

UK and Commonwealth : Swift Press

Redwood Court exquisitely paints a portrait of Black Southern life, and in her debut novel, DéLana R.A. Dameron meticulously orchestrates a leading cast of characters that leap right off of the pages of this book! In this coming-of-age novel, readers get a glimpse of life through the eyes of the family's youngest daughter. The writing is nuanced, succinct, and brilliant.

Redwood Court is a beautiful and riveting novel of generational reckoning. DéLana Dameron offers with tenderness and a lyrical sensitivity, an insider's insight into the "big love" of the abundantly rich black southern life of tribe, community, and family.

Redwood Court is a blueprint for writing about complicated, nuanced people and places with dignity and grace. DéLana R.A. Dameron's relentless love for Columbia, South Carolina is palpable, and her exquisite storytelling brings us a story of lineage & legacy from unforgettable characters who grab your heart and make you laugh, weep and hope with them, for them.

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