Tayari Jones

Yes.

Kin, Tayari Jones.

Tayari Jones.

This was published just this year in 2026.

Historical fiction.

And there was some of that in this book, but I thought it was still a good choice.

I really enjoyed it.

It was not the first novel by Tayari Jones.

her work at the library or something.

But there was no library in Arco Balleno, only the school library, and it did not stock enough Margaret Atwood books or Octavia Butler or Tayari Jones or anything in Spanish.

So Nina said she had to help Isabella by bringing in books from home, extra copies or paperbacks, so Isabella could learn what the world was like beyond the doors of the diner or the limits of Arco Balleno.

You're right to teach Isabelle about life.

that.

She was on this very podcast recently with Tayari Jones talking about that book.

Yeah, fabulous.

Not only a fabulous book, but a wonderful human and a great chat as well.

Right.

This Niecy is actually not a reference to Char Jackson, it's a reference to the book Kin by Tayari Jones, which I just finished.

I could not...

I've been stretching it out.

Wow.

It is...

But Tayari Jones is incredible.

I loved An American Marriage, um, but this book is, is extremely special.

All right, let's begin by talking about the fiction that I read in August.

Like I said, I have three books in this section, starting with fiction book number one, Kin by Tayari Jones.

This is another book I am 90% sure is going to end up as one of my favorite books of the year.

Tayari Jones is best known as the author of An American Marriage.

That was definitely one of the best books I read last year, and I highly recommend it if you haven't yet read it.

But because I loved An American Marriage, I was so excited to see that she had a new book coming out this year.

Vernice is clearly destined for a life of middle-class affluence and comfort, while Annie struggles to make ends meet as a waitress and bartender.

I was so invested in Annie and Vernice's stories because they were so different, because they were on such different paths in life.

What

have we got on deck? We are talking about Kin by Tayari Jones.

Oh, everybody's talking about Kin.

Everybody, including Oprah.

I had a couple of... small niggles about it but i didn't think it was as good as hamnet but it was still incredibly readable the next book that i'm reading is colson whitehead's cool machine and i'll be reporting back on that relatively soon then it's country people by daniel mason which i also reviewed very, very positively.

Tayari Jones's Kin, I also have nothing but good things to say about.

The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout, that is, I think, number three or number four on my literary books to read.

Transcription by Ben Lerner, I also reviewed that very positively.

Um, I just finished, oh, okay, this is the book I just finished.

Kin by Tayari Jones.

Um, which is really good.

It's like an Oprah's Book Club pick.