I have been thinking all day about what I could write that might sound academic. The plot seems simple at the moment and pretty basic. You have a woman who has just found out that her whole life is a sham. Now, if that life was not real, then who is she? The fact that it is set in Atlanta makes the story seem more familiar in a way. It is not happening in some far off country or some long ago time. It is around the corner and in the present. The underlying theme seems to be this confrontation between traditional feminine values and a contemporary coming-of-age story. Who will win? You have the mother who is controlling and stuck in the old tradition where women were decorations on a man’s arm. The mom, when faced with living without the traditional devotion to husband values, seems to take a turn for the worst. Then, you have the daughter, Kerry, who is now having to begin that same journey, or at least decide if she wants to take the trip towards being her own woman.
What I told the other students is, watch all the comments about social class very carefully. Kerry has inherited some of the biases of her mother about money and what makes a good man. This is indeed a coming-of-age story, and Kerry's first feminist awakening happens when she goes to jail! Also, watch for the comments on weight and skin color. They are very telling, and the author is trying to show realistic details of middle-class to upper-class African_American life.
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