In Charmaine Wilkerson’s GOOD DIRT the reader enters the world of Ebony (Ebby) Freeman. When she was 10 years old, Ebby’s older brother Baz was shot and killed during a home invasion. If Ebby hadn’t wanted just one more game of hide and seek, they wouldn’t have been home when the home invasion occurred. She carries a tremendous amount of guilt due to this. However, Ebby finds happiness with a successful banker named Henry until he leaves her at the altar, and this devastates her further. Ebby’s wounds are deep and, while she can’t bring her brother back, she runs into her ex-fiance while she is helping a friend out in France. 

During the home invasion that resulted in Ebby’s brother Baz’s death, a twenty-gallon clay jar was broken. This jar was emblematic of many generations of the Freeman family. Interspersed among Ebby’s chapters are her ancestors’ stories, including the story of Moses (the jar maker). I was riveted by the ancestors’ stories and how important the jar remained to each generation. I loved how it became the depository for messages. 

I thought the character of Ebony was extremely well-done. She has been through a lot so far in her life with her survivor’s guilt after her brother’s murder and feeling gutted by her ex-fiance, but there is a strength in her that persists. I rooted for her to find happiness. Her parents’ stories and how they reacted to Baz’s murder seemed very true to life and complicated. 

My attention started to lag a bit while reading. I think the author’s BLACK CAKE has a more captivating plot, but I thought this novel had more layered characters.    

GOOD DIRT publishes January 28, 2025.