In early spring, 2019, it was determined through DNA testing that I was unrelated to the man I had always thought was my father. Then things took an unexpected turn and what I had dismissed as not for me but for my mother suddenly moved to the fore. All the sad plants… I could not, in spite of my mother’s effortless example, and my effortful efforts, keep them alive. The peace lily, overflooded with daily attention, would sag and expire. The Madagascar jasmine, enfeebled by too little sun or not enough water, would sigh toward the ground. But before too long, the sprightly leaves would wilt or crisp. I admired the buds for opening with confidence and the buoyant way the leaves unrolled. When given a plant by someone who thought I looked capable, I would start out full of hope. WHERE she saw gradients of celadon, emerald, sage, olive, I saw only a thin green blur. What gets planted, and what gets buried? What role does storytelling play in unearthing the past and making sense of a life? Can the humble act of tending a garden provide common ground for an inquisitive daughter and her complicated mother? “A lovely meditation on the hidden past and the blossoming future” ( Kirkus Reviews) and a “generous, open-handed perspective” (NPR), Unearthing bursts with the very love it seeks to understand. Readers of Michelle Zauner’s bestseller Crying in H Mart will recognize Maclear’s unflinching insights on grief and loyalty, and keen perceptions into the relationship between mothers and daughters. Infused with moments of suspense, it is also a thoughtful reflection on race, lineage, and our cultural fixation on recreational genetics. Unearthing is a captivating and propulsive story of inheritance that goes beyond heredity. Along the way, larger questions arise: what exactly is kinship? What does it mean to be a family? And how do we belong to larger ecosystems? Suddenly Maclear becomes a detective in her own life, unravelling a family mystery piece by piece, and assembling the story of her biological father. Three months after Kyo Maclear’s father dies in December 2018, she gets the results of a DNA test showing that she and the father who raised her are not biologically related. “A moving account… a reminder of the abundance of experience present in all families, and the power and healing that can come from honoring those many truths.” - The Washington Post A searing and unforgettable memoir about a family secret revealed by a DNA test, the lessons learned in its aftermath, and the indelible power of love.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |