Jumata Emill writes a killer 谋杀 神秘 with his new young adult novel, Wander in the Dark. It will lead readers down circuitous paths as they attempt to follow the clues and resolve the 谋杀 of Chloe Danvers.
Set in 新奥尔良 at the time of mardi gras in February, the novel features the 家庭 drama of Marcel and Amir Trudeau. The two teen brothers are estranged, 然而, because their father, Martin Trudeau is himself guilty of adultery. Now the famous 厨师 is married with a second 家庭 who seems to have it all in Amir’s eyes: connections, 现金, 和亲密感. When Marcel invites Amir to his birthday party, Amir only goes because Chloe has also hinted that he should come. And Chloe is a temptation that Amir can’t resist: she’s confident, 漂亮的, and one of Marcel’s best friends.
Amir is also tired of having to endure the rejection and othering that he has experienced since childhood. Convinced that his father divorces his mother because Amir isn’t perfect enough, ambitious enough, or good enough for his now-famous father, Amir believes he’ll never be the man his father wants him to be. He’ll never be “that kind of Trudeau” (37).
After leaving Marcel’s party, Chloe sends mixed signals to Amir. Is she flirting, teasing, or sincere? The two end up spending the night together since Chloe’s parents are out of town and Chloe is afraid to be alone. She has something she wants Amir to do, she claims. But that night, while passed out on the Danvers’ couch, Amir doesn’t hear someone enter the house and 谋杀 Chloe. Now he has been accused of 谋杀.
The novel follows the case as Marcel refuses to give up on his brother. Marcel is determined to vindicate Amir and avenge his best friend, Chloe. As afraid as he is for his life, Amir seems almost resigned to his fate: he’s a Black man being framed for 谋杀. 然而,, Marcel is not giving up, despite Amir’s outburst directed at his brother: “You’ll never understand where I’m coming from. You ain’t really Black like me. . . . You’re privileged, Marcel. . . . Privileged to live in your bougie bubble where you don’t have to think about 比赛 or worry about anyone thinking less of you. You have the money. 状态. [White people] have accepted you” (156).
Although Marcel’s sleuthing nearly gets him killed, the two boys learn some valuable lessons: that innocence is not in skin color, that Truman Academy—where the teens attend school—is a microaggressive hotbed, and that 家庭 bonds run as deep as the grave. Worried that he won’t be able to work on his 家庭 relationships from prison, Amir further learns that his love for his father is buried under heaps of resentment and anger,
While Emill’s book is a 谋杀 神秘, it is also a story about 家庭—how harboring hatred can damage bonds, how messy and beautiful relationships can be, and how honesty and tears can get a person to a better place. This is also a book about 比赛, one that profiles the love interests and heroism of young Black men rather than criminalizing them, one that helps the world see beyond skin color, 恐惧, 和猜疑.
- Posted by 唐娜