Thoughts- The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

Synopsis

Fifteen years old and blazing with the hope of a better life, Hattie Shepherd fled the horror of the American South on a dawn train bound for Philadelphia.

Hattie's is a tale of strength, of resilience and heartbreak that spans six decades. Her American dream is shattered time and again: a husband who lies and cheats and nine children raised in a cramped little house that was only ever supposed to be temporary.

She keeps the children alive with sheer will and not an ounce of the affection they crave. She knows they don't think her a kind woman - but how could they understand that all the love she had was used up in feeding them and clothing them.

How do you prepare your children for a world you know is cruel?

The lives of this unforgettable family form a searing portrait of twentieth century America. From the revivalist tents of Alabama to Vietnam, to the black middle-class enclave in the heart of the city, to a filthy bar in the ghetto, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie is an extraordinary, distinctive novel about the guilt, sacrifice, responsibility and heartbreak that are an intrinsic part of ferocious love.

Review

Hattie reminds me of my grandmother, full of energy with a history worth a Thousand words. When I was little I would stare at my grandmother and I would imagine all kinds of things, where she grew up, how she ended up being married to granddad, whether she was happy with her life.  

She also had fourteen children (Yikes).  She never talked about her childhood, she wasn’t secretive, and she just didn’t need to share her story. For this reason I never really understood her, I don’t think my mother understand her either. Reading Twelve Lives of Hattie brought her to the forefront of my mind and funnily enough made me understand her a little bit more.

The novel starts in the 1920, Hattie is seventeen years old, married with twins. The painful death of her twins shapes Hattie from happy and optimistic to a woman hardened by the harshness of life. She goes on have seven children with a husband she hates, her loss casts a dark shadow over her life and she never really gets over it.

Ayana Mathis writes with the style and control of Toni Morrison. She has control of the novel moving from jealousy, love to bitterness and spite. She navigates issues with poise, giving us a glimpse of what life is for all seven children without delving too much. The reader feels like a spectator watching from a far as one by one, the children face life and come to terms with infidelity and crime. I would highly recommend this book, its well written, bold and perceptive.