The Birds of Opulence by Crystal Wilkinson

Crystal Wilkinson is one of Appalachia's foremost African-American authors. This book, Wilkinson’s first novel after the publication of two collections of short stories, won the 10th Annual Ernest Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, given to promising African-American writers. The novel follows several generations of African-American women as they wrestle with their relationship to the land, to sexuality, and to madness. "Crystal Wilkinson's Opulence, Kentucky, is small geographically and in population, but the novel's concerns are large―life, death, love, betrayal, despair, and hope. Wilkinson is a lyrical writer, and, once encountered in these pages, her characters and their stories linger in our memories long after the last page is turned. The Birds of Opulence is a novel to be read and reread."―Ron Rash. "Those birds. . . . They swoop down on and around Opulence, Kentucky, proffering a sweeping perspective of more than three decades that's both grand and intimate. Yes, they are a