Family and Other Calamities
Family, loyalty, and forgiveness are at the center of Leslie Gray Streeter’s humorous novel Family and Other Calamities.
Dawn, a self-made Black journalist, is the founder of the online entertainment publication Glitter. Her hard work as a publication entrepreneur pays off when she scores an interview with musical diva Miss Vivi, bringing Glitter to the next level.
After her interview with Miss Vivi, Dawn travels to her native Baltimore, carrying the urn with the ashes of her adored late husband, Dale, with her for final interment, though it’s been years since his death. On the plane, Dawn spots Joe, who sabotaged her career by stealing her story when they were both starting out as beat reporters. When Dawn learns that Joe is prepared to announce that he is turning the stolen story into a Hollywood movie, she crashes Joe’s press conference and accuses him of theft. Joe retaliates and sues Dawn for slander.
The fight is on. Dawn teams up with her sister Tonya, who is a whistle-blower; with her brother-in-law, Brent, a lawyer; and with Bria, a scrappy reporter with questionable ethics. They work to set the record straight and bring Joe down. Also rallying around Dawn are her mother, her aunts, and Miss Vivi.
The narrative is unpredictable and the prose is distinctive, making use of entertaining gossip throughout. Despite her feminism, though, Dawn’s reactions to women are often negative. She hates Bria; she dislikes her sister-in-law; and she despises Susan, a former colleague. She also adores Joe until he betrays her, and her relationship with Eddie, her colleague and mentor, sparks with sexual tension.
Moving with speed toward a satisfying ending, Family and Other Calamities is an entertaining novel about family, self-love, and professional integrity.
Reviewed by
Erika Harlitz Kern
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
