will do magic for small change by andrea hairston

LONGER REVIEW: In Will Do Magic for Small Change, Andrea Hairston weaves strands of story across two centuries into a beautiful, occasionally heartbreaking but ultimately joyful, tapestry about the transformative powers of love and art and about how we break each other and help each other heal. Will Do Magic for Small Change moved me through the full range of emotions – joy, grief, anger, love – in equal measure and sometimes all at once. Also powerful are the scenes where characters get lost in making their art. And the moments of honest reconnection and reconciliation after misunderstandings are cleared up and secrets are shared are some of the most powerful and affecting in the book. It centers joy – from the blush of first love to the comfort of family and friends who truly love you, faults and all. The book is not all doom-and-gloom, though. Because of this, Will Do Magic for Small Change is not always an easy read.

Violence is at the core of the book, each time frame’s action incited by the death of a loved one. Hairston does not shy away from the uncomfortable details of racism, homophobia, suicide, abuse (physical and emotional). SHORT REVIEW: In Will Do Magic for Small Change, Andrea Hairston weaves strands of story across two centuries into a beautiful, occasionally heartbreaking but ultimately joyful, tapestry about the transformative powers of love and art and about how we break each other and help each other heal. 464 pages, TorDotCom Publishing, ISBN 9781250808738 (hardcover also e-book and audio)

Will do magic for small change by andrea hairston