The Twelve Tribes of Hattie; Ayana Mathis

Title: The Twelve Tribes of Hattie
Publication Year: 2012
Publisher: Knopf
Edition: eGalley
Setting: Southern and Northern states
Source: Edelweiss
Date Completed: January - 2013 
Rating: 4/5 
Recommend: yes

 

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie is a compelling story about a woman named Hattie as well as a story about her "tribe" of eleven children.  Hattie was just fifteen in 1924 when she, her mother and a sister came to Philadelphia from Georgia as part of the Great Migration; her father was murdered by two white men down South.

 

In Philadelphia, Hattie meets August Shepherd, and by the time Hattie is 17 she is the mother of twins. Even in Philadelphia Hattie can't seem to escape tragedy.  Her twins become contract pneumonia and later die.  Her husband offers no support or comfort, yet as the years pass Hattie gives birth to nine more children.  Children that she seems incapable of expressing love or tenderness to.  In fact, she in many ways seems like contributes to her dissatisfaction about how her life has turned out.

 

The story covers a period 55 years (1925-1980), and is told in chapters that focus on each of her children and later in 1980, on her 10 year old granddaughter.  Each chapter has a year as well as the name of one or two of the children. It is through her children and their issues that the reader gets to see the real Hattie.  As her children are growing up and later on as adults, we see how Hattie's perpetual unhappiness and inability to nurture has affected her children.

 

The story is beautifully written and heart wrenching at times as well. Lovers of literary fiction will want to savior certain passages. Written almost like a series of interrelated short stories, mostly bleak, with certain characters dealing with real tough issues like abuse, physical and mental illness, alcoholism, homosexuality etc. However, a reader who hangs in there will be treated to a few brief and happy moments as well.  As much as I liked the book, it wasn't perfect.  I felt at times the flow felt somewhat disjointed, and I also wanted to know more about some of the children. The only character that I felt I got to know was Hattie, but perhaps that was the author's intent. 

I think this book would make for a lively book club selection, and I now understand why Oprah has selected it. Have you read this one? If so I would love to hear what your thoughts.