A friend of mine, another Patricia, passed along a book she had just read, with her strong recommendation. I don’t read much fiction right at the moment, but trusted Pat’s wisdom and dug in to Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made by DeBerry Grant.
It’s a story of two African American girls, Pat and Gayle, growing up, growing wide apart, growing back together. Plus the interweaving of Marcus, another friend of their childhood. The descriptions of the three teen-age and then adult lives give us very different pictures of life choices. The parents and partners round out those pictures, with tragedy in greater measure than joy.
My favorite character is, of course, the feisty and tough Pat. Who does, in the end, and after powerful achievements, learn love. Gayle learns new definitions of love, especially for her daughter and mother, and Marcus is both the most balanced and unbalanced of three at various spots in the tale.
The authors are 2 such friends, using one pen name for their work. Let’s hope they’re already at work on their next book.