Trouble the Saints, by Alaya Dawn Johnson (Tor)
The core of the
magic in this edgy, often disturbing fantasy is that the anguish of slaves was
so deep, so powerful, that it created a spell persisting to the modern age.
This takes the form of bespelled hands – hands that can detect a person’s
darkest secrets, hands that can tell the future – and hands that crave justice.
In 1940s New York, the descendants of those slaves, men and women gifted with
magical hands, often end up on the wrong side of the law. Phyllis, the first of
these characters, is an enforcer for a white mobster, his “avenging angel.” Her
best friend, Tamara, dances with a snake and tells fortunes at the mobster’s
night club. And Dev, who loves them both, is a bartender by night and police
informant by day. But someone has been targeting Blacks and harvesting their
hands…
Trouble the Saints is a difficult book to describe. It’s not an
easy or comfortable read, but it is an important book, fearlessly delving into
issues of racism, injustice, murder, greed, and forgiveness.
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