Thicker Than Blood
A novel from Fomite
Andrea Barton is single but wants a child. When an infant is abandoned at a church on the north side of Chicago, Andrea first becomes a foster mother and then adopts her. Andrea believes that love and her experience as a social worker will see her through the challenges of raising an African-American child in a white world. During Pearl’s childhood, Andrea is able to protect her daughter from many of society’s blows. But when teenaged Pearl starts to seek her own identity, their relationship is threatened. Both mother and daughter face situations that force them to confront the possibilities and limits of love.
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"Jan English Leary, a first rate storyteller, examines the intersection between idealism, the harsh reality of post-racist America, the challenges of adoption and the brutality of family life in general. The journey of parenthood is not for the faint-hearted. I read this novel with great admiration for the writer and vicarious pain for her characters." — Goldie Goldbloom, author of The Paperbark Shoe
"Jan English Leary’s deeply moving Thicker Than Blood tells the story of a family, a new kind of family, one created when a single, white, working woman adopts a black infant. How individuals seek and avoid love, how they misunderstand and hurt one another are at the heart of all intimate relationships. How this bind is magnified and complicated by the pressure of race is what this fine novel reveals. Written with uncommon grace and profound insight, Thicker Than Blood is a brave and poignant novel." — Lynn Sloan, author of Principles of Navigation