Glorious
Easter Vanetta Bartlett, born in Waycross, Georgia, sees her sister raped and violated in 1910, an act that quickly drives her family to insanity and death. In the Jim Crow South, a black person is presumed to either be at fault or misunderstand what occurred. Easter has had her first devastating dose of reality, and so her solution for the time is to leave and create a new life.
The bevy of characters throughout this story of Easter’s life is so gripping that one can’t wait to get back to learn about Rain, a bisexual drama queen of the highest order; Meredith, a rich white woman friend who marries a Puerto Rican man whom she eventually discards in a flabbergasting manner; a husband, Colin, whose hatred of Marcus Garvey kindles into a consuming flame for reasons that will astonish those who have a pristine picture of this revolutionary character; the writers of the Harlem Renaissance, who are just beginning their ascendancy into literary renown; and many more minor characters who are just as fascinating in their unique, astonishing style. Easter has a very special gift that some will admire beyond words and of which others will dare to deprive her: the gift of crafting words to create sanity in her own inner landscape and clarity to the outer world about the changing world around them.
The “dream deferred,” as described by Langston Hughes, is portrayed in the language renowned for this literary movement, so exquisitely presented. This reviewer believes that Glorious is bound to become a classic work read in schools and celebrated where great writing is truly appreciated. What a delight!
