Junie

Junie is the story of Junie, a young Black girl growing up in Vancouver in the 1930s. More than that, though, it's a story about mothers and daughters, and how love can change its form.

Knight does a fantastic job of putting the reader right in the middle of the East End of Vancouver; the descriptions are vivid, and it's interesting to see it through the different characters' eyes. The characters themselves are distinct, strong women in their own ways, albeit none of them are perfect. Knight's prose is melodic, beautiful without becoming over-the-top, and it makes for quick, enjoyable reading.

My main critiques apply mostly to the beginning of the novel, when Junie is still a child. She seemed very naive for her age, and while that's not inherently a bad thing, I had a hard time believing she was thirteen and not, say, ten. There were also parts that seemed to be outright stating on the page what Knight was trying to get at; I felt this most with Miss Shirley, although some of the other characters had their moments, too. Again, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it felt heavy-handed enough that it took me out of the story in several places.

Overall, this is a really poignant novel. Knight delivers on all fronts, and there is something for most readers to like here. I'd recommend it for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, feminist or queer fiction, or literary fiction.

Thank you to Book*hug and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.