Zeal

Family histories are beautifully and unbelievably woven together in this new novel by the literary talent Morgan Jerkins.

This New York Times bestselling author mesmerized me with her creative prowess and folkloric powers in Caul Baby, and she delivers the same caliber of novel in her new work, Zeal.

We enter Ardelia and Oliver's story at their engagement party in Harlem in 2019, with both their families gathered together as Oliver, a young doctor, dedicates a family heirloom—handed down through generations of women in his family—to his bride, who works as an associate curator at the Schomburg Center for Black Culture.

In the following chapter, we are whisked back to Natchez, Mississippi, in 1865, after Harrison, a newly freed Union soldier, tries to find the love of his life, Tirzah, in the aftermath of the crumbling South.

Over 150 years are traversed as lovers through generations chase, reconnect, and pass down histories as rich as the soil from whence they came. I was hooked from the start and desperate to see how these characters fit together. This book is epic and unforgettable!

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