Good Dirt

PRE-ORDER NOW THE NEW NOVEL BY CHARMAINE WILKERSON, THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF WORD-OF-MOUTH SENSATION BLACK CAKE.'One of the great multi-generational storytellers of our time.'Abi Daré, author of The Girl With the Louding Voice'A remarkable exploration of family bonds, grief, heartbreak, friendship, and the deep scars of slavery and racism...This novel solidifies Wilkerson's place as one of the great multi-generational storytellers of our time. ' Abi Daré, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl with the Louding Voice---When Ebby Freeman travels to France to take a three-month hiatus from her complicated home life, the last person she expects to find is her ex-fiancé Henry, with his new girlfriend in tow.Nearly twenty years earlier, the Freemans were the only African American family living in a wealthy coastal enclave in Connecticut when armed robbers invaded their home and tragedy changed their lives forever.Then, just as Ebby thought she had a new chance at happiness, her storybook romance with Henry fell apart.Now, this unexpected encounter with Henry will force Ebby to reckon with her past and to think on the other loss her family suffered that day – the destruction of a beloved stoneware jar crafted by an enslaved ancestor and passed down through the generations. A piece that might hold not only her family history, but also the key to reclaiming her future.---Praise for Charmaine Wilkerson and Black Cake:'Completely blew me away'Red'Unputdownable. Astonishing. Twists and turns so shocking they will leave your head spinning and your heart aching'Grazia'You can't help but fall in love with this book'Stylist'A novelist to watch'Independent'Beautiful, deeply resonant . . . A story that is as meaningful as it is delicious'Taylor Jenkins Reid, bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo'A rich, complex and really satisfying novel'Alison Finch, BBC Radio 4'A delicious and gripping tale that sweeps the reader across decades and continents'Guardian'A book that is both universal and unique.'Afua Hirsch, bestselling author of Brit(ish)'This novel has a tremendous heart at its centre, and I felt its beat on every page. What an extraordinary debut'Mary Beth Keane, bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes

A remarkable exploration of family bonds, grief, heartbreak, friendship, and the deep scars of slavery and racism... Wilkerson’s prose is succinct yet richly evocative, masterfully delving into the minds and motivations of her characters and delivering a narrative that lingers long after the final page... This novel solidifies Wilkerson's place as one of the great multi-generational storytellers of our time., Good Dirt is a mystery that weaves together multi-generational strands of past and present trauma, from West Africa to Long Island Sound, from the 1800s to the present. Written in glittering and discerning prose, poignant yet hopeful, Good Dirt is a masterful character study exploring the stories we inherit and how the past informs the present. I loved it. Brava, Charmaine., Stunning. For readers of Brit Bennett and Celeste Ng, Charmaine Wilkerson’s powerful exploration of loss, enslavement, freedom, and the complexities of not only America’s history but America’s present is heartbreaking and tender and so wise. GOOD DIRT is exquisitely crafted with passages that are poignant, yet full of hope. I LOVED this story and the many characters that peopled it. Book clubs are going to go wild!, Charmaine Wilkerson has a superb talent for showing how contemporary characters’ lives are entwined with the past, creating a story that is rich in compassion and hope – and utterly engrossing., A beautiful and intertwining novel that will capture your heart. With a family heirloom at the heart of the story, it has rich characters and a powerfully complex tale spanning through generations.

Charmaine Wilkerson is the author of Black Cake, a New York Times-bestselling novel. An American writer, she spent much of her childhood living in the Caribbean and is now based in Italy. She is a former television journalist and an award-winning writer of short fiction. Her debut novel Black Cake was selected as a Read With Jenna pick and was adapted for the screen as a Hulu original series airing on Disney+ and executive produced by Oprah Winfrey.