Melinda Haynes Books

Capturing all the rueful irony and racial ambivalence of small-town Mississippi in the late 1950s, Melinda Haynes' celebrated novel is a wholly unforgettable exploration of family, identity, and redemption. Mother of Pearl revolves around twenty-eight-year-old Even Grade, a black man who grew up an orphan, and Valuable Korner, the fifteen-year-old white daughter of the town whore and an unknown father. Both are passionately determined to discover the precious things neither experienced as children: human connection, enduring commitment, and, above all, unconditional love. A startlingly accomplished mixture of beauty, mystery, and tragedy, Mother of Pearl marks the debut of an extraordinary literary talent. (Oprah's Book Club)

Set in a small Mississippi town in the late 1950s, Mother of Pearl is populated by wonderfully rich and original characters with themes of identity and the true meaning of family interwoven throughout. the story revolves around twenty-eight-year-old Even Grade, a black man who grew up an orphan. And Valuable Korner, a fifteen-year-old- white girl who is the daughter of the town whore and an unknown father. their paths cross through Joody two Sun, a seer, who sets up camp along the riverbank just outside of town and becomes Even's lover. Both Even and Valuable are seeking the family, love, and commitment they never had, and their search ultimately takes them both places they never dreamed they'd go. told in a beautifully nuanced narrative with a staggering richness that resonates with emotional truth, Mother of Pearl is a haunting, bittersweet tale of the search for identity and the power of renewal.