Homebodies

December 1, 2022

In Nigerian British author Agbaje-Williams's auction-hot The Three of Us, a heretofore contented wife discovers the acrimony between her husband and best friend as they dance around her for first place in her attention (75,000-copy first printing). Inaugural winner of the Chautauqua Janus Prize, Cuffy structures Dances according to the basics of ballet as her Black heroine rises to become a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet while struggling with personal issues. From a staff writer at New York magazine's "The Strategist," Denton-Hurst's Homebodies features a young Black woman fired from her media job who writes a scorching denunciation of the racism and sexism she encountered in the business that goes viral (75,000-copy first printing). In Pushcart Prize-nominated Neal's Notes on Her Color a young Black Indigenous woman gifted with the ability to change the color of her skin finds self-respect (and a means of escaping crushing family expectations) with a queer, dark-skinned piano instructor. In What Napoleon Could Not Do, from Ghanian-born Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate Nnuro, Ghanian computer programmer Jacob can't win permission from the U.S. government to move to Virginia to be with his wife while Jacob's sister Belinda is married to a wealthy Black Texan who tries to apprise Jacob of the country's deep-seated racism (50,000-copy first printing). Drawn from her family's experience, Pushcart Prize-winning Oza's A History of Burning opens with Pirbhai's being taken from India to work on the East African Railway for the British and moves toward the expulsion of his descendants from Uganda in 1972 (50,000-copy first printing)

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Starred review from March 6, 2023
Denton-Hurst debuts with an exciting chronicle of a Black journalist finding her voice. Mickey Hayward, a writer for a magazine called Wave, is disappointed by her supervisor’s casual racism and dismissiveness toward her ideas. Still, she believes she’ll find success, until she discovers that Wave is interviewing candidates to replace her, and she’s laid off shortly after someone is hired. Angry and reeling from being let go and a fight with her long-term girlfriend, Mickey posts a letter online describing her mistreatment at Wave, then returns to her Maryland hometown where she reconnects with ex-lover Tee and strives to be honest with her family about her struggles. Things are especially fraught with her father, with whom she’s built a fragile relationship after he started a new family following his divorce from Mickey’s mom. But her visit is cut short when an industry-wide reckoning with the exploitation of Black employees thrusts Mickey’s letter turned manifesto into the spotlight, and with it, Mickey herself. Denton-Hurst dazzles with her stirring indictment of racism in media and its insidious effects on Mickey, who must choose between making herself smaller to appease others and championing her own voice and experiences. Emotionally and politically resonant, this is not to be missed.

April 1, 2023
A young Black woman contends with New York media culture. Mickey Hayward's shiny writing job is not as great as she'd hoped it would be. "Instead of reporting on the goings on of Black life," Denton-Hurst writes in her engaging debut, Mickey "was making listicles about the best lipsticks for every skin tone." But when she's abruptly fired from her position, Mickey is devastated and thrown into a depression that forces her to reconsider every aspect of her life--including her relationship with her girlfriend, Lex. For a break, Mickey takes off for her Maryland hometown, where she reconnects with old friends and tries to decide what to do with herself next. Full of contradictions, Mickey makes for an interesting protagonist--but very few of the other characters seem fully formed. Denton-Hurst's descriptions of the publishing landscape are witty, as when she observes, "Every editor, writer, and intern believed they had a New York media memoir brewing just beneath the surface," or when Mickey agonizes over a casual text message to her editor: " 'Of course!' she wrote back, wondering if one exclamation point was enough." But when Mickey heads for Maryland, the book starts to drag. Denton-Hurst has the novice writer's habit of overwriting: Every action is engulfed by unnecessary description. For example, "Mickey toed off her sneakers before continuing inside, peeling off her coat and hanging her keys on the small hook in the entry." The verbiage slows down the action and distracts from Denton-Hurst's otherwise astute observations about media culture, race, and the experience of a young woman trying to make her way in the world. An intriguing but imperfect debut.

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May 31, 2023
As a young Black woman in the New York media landscape, Mickey knew her position as a beauty writer was precarious--the mastheads of many prestigious magazines and digital platforms would attest to it. Mickey never felt fully secure at Wave, a once-glamorous magazine now owned by a media conglomerate, but she certainly isn't prepared when a coworker tells her that their boss has already hired Mickey's replacement. After her unceremonious firing, Mickey falls into a depressive episode, frustrating herself and her longtime partner, Lex. The women decide to take a break as Mickey heads to Baltimore to reconnect with her grandparents and mull over her next steps. While her family is alternatingly maddening and comforting, Mickey's surprised to find some new feelings for an old flame and a professional opportunity she never expected. Debut author Denton-Hurst shines a light on an underrepresented group in prestige media without positioning Mickey as a token voice. Fans of Anna Bruno, Joanna Cantor, and Kathleen Tessaro will connect with Mickey's genuine challenges, frustrations, and sparks of joy. Warm, witty, and welcoming, Homebodies is a delight.

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