Inharmonious
In 1941 Florida, young adult siblings Benny and Cora North live with their widowed mother. Benny is light-skinned enough to pass for white, which he does sometimes to enjoy the defiant rush. Cora is sweet on Benny’s friend Lee, but her mother disapproves of his wild past. When news of Pearl Harbor comes over the radio, Benny, Lee, and their friend Roscoe plan to enlist. Benny persuades a reluctant Cora to marry Roscoe before he leaves, for financial security as his widow if he is killed.
Benny is mistakenly sent to a whites-only unit, but a paperwork-averse officer advises him to leave well enough alone. Roscoe and Lee suffer the indignities Black soldiers were subject to, such as harassment from white superiors and training without weapons because the brass fear arming Black men. In the war’s aftermath, the Black veterans return to the restrictions of a Jim Crow South, blocked from the government benefits they should be entitled to, except for Benny, whose paperwork lists him as white—but “passing” now cuts him off from his family. Roscoe feels resentful, and Cora longs to be with Lee, not Roscoe.
This novel is a perfect example of my favorite kind of historical fiction: interesting history and compelling characters, wrapped seamlessly in a plot that keeps me wondering what will happen next. Huf’s book is inspired by the experiences of her grandmother’s generation; her historical note explains some of the plot points inspired by real-life incidents. I strongly recommend this immersive novel about Black people’s struggle against segregation in mid-century America.
