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In Tayari Jones’s gorgeous new novel Kin, two Black girls grow up inseparable in the small town of Honeysuckle, Louisiana, bound together by the unique grief of being motherless. Annie is raised by her grandmother after her mother abandons her at birth, while Vernice (Niecy) is raised by her aunt from infancy after losing her mother to domestic violence. Though loved and cared for, both girls grow up knowing that they will have to make their own way once they enter adulthood.

Annie runs away to search for her mother, while Niecy heads to Spelman College to fulfill her aunt’s dreams of a better life for her. Separated for the first time, each one finds friendship, love, and a mother figure in unexpected places. But their bond as “cradle friends” is irreplaceable, and their shared longing for their mothers never goes away. Through all their hard times and new experiences, these two sisters in spirit always find their way back to each other as their most enduring source of understanding, love, and family.

The novel is set against the backdrop of the civil rights movement in the Deep South. With sharp and sensitive observations, Jones shows how the painful realities of racial injustice impact Annie and Niecy’s lives on a daily basis.

Jones writes with such love and empathy for her characters and creates distinct and vibrant found families around Annie and Niecy. Kin is a big-hearted, compassionate, and deeply human story about friendship, family, racism, and belonging. I loved it and expect it will be a top book of 2026.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC. All opinions are my own.