Description

In a quiet Massachusetts town in the 1950s, a young woman named Boy arrives seeking a life of beauty, only to find herself entangled in a complex web of family secrets and racial identity. She marries a local widower and becomes the stepmother to his daughter, Snow, but the arrival of her own dark-skinned daughter, Bird, shatters the family's carefully constructed facade. As the Whitmans' true identities as light-skinned African Americans passing for white are revealed, the story echoes the dark undertones of a familiar fairy tale, exploring themes of race, beauty, and the dangerous allure of vanity. This novel masterfully interrogates the tyranny of the mirror, questioning the power of surfaces and the true meaning of belonging.

Available Editions

paperback edition cover

paperback

Riverhead Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA)

Published Jan 1, 2014

308 pages

ISBN: 9781594631399

available

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Details

First Published

2014

Language

eng

Content Warnings

Content and trigger warnings for Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi.

Racism/Discrimination