River, Cross My Heart A Novel
“River, Cross My Heart” by Breena Clarke is a poignant novel published by Little, Brown on October 1, 1999. This 1st Trade Edition spans 256 pages and is presented in English. The story begins with the tragic drowning of five-year-old Clara Bynum in the Potomac River, an event that profoundly impacts her family and community. As Clara’s parents, Alice and Willie Bynum, navigate their grief while adjusting to life in a new city, the narrative also focuses on Clara’s sister, ten-year-old Johnnie Mae, who grapples with her emotions and the legacy of her sister’s absence.
Readers will find a rich exploration of the effects of loss and the complexities of identity within the context of historical change. The novel delves into the lives of the Bynum family and their Georgetown neighbors, capturing the tension between their rural roots and urban aspirations. Through its lyrical prose and historical detail, “River, Cross My Heart” offers insight into the African-American experience, making it a significant addition to the genre of historical fiction.
Official synopsis Publisher
Five-year-old Clara Bynum is dead, drowned in the Potomac River in the shadow of a seemingly haunted rock outcropping known locally as the Three Sisters. River, Cross My Heart, which marks the debut of a wonderfully gifted new storyteller, weighs the effect of Clara’s absence on the people she has left behind: her parents, Alice and Willie Bynum, torn between the old world of their rural North Carolina home and the new world of the city, to which they have moved in search of a better life for themselves and their children; the friends and relatives of the Bynum family in the Georgetown neighborhood they now call home; and, most especially, Clara’s sister, ten-year-old Johnnie Mae, who must come to terms with the powerful and confused emotions stirred by her sister’s death as she struggles to decide what kind of woman she will become. This highly accomplished first novel resonates with ideas, impassioned lyricism, and poignant historical detail as it captures an essential part of the African-American experience in our century.
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