The Book Review Book Club: Let's Talk About 'Kin,' by Tayari Jones
Mar 27, 2026
Lauren Christensen, New York Times Book Review editor known for close readings, and Elisabeth Egan, writer who profiled Tayari Jones, trade sharp takes on Kin. They discuss the novel’s twin narrators, motherlessness and chosen family, Atlanta as setting, queer desire at Spelman, and the book’s structure and ending. Short, lively conversation about craft and themes.
47:17
Atlanta As A Living Backdrop
- Atlanta functions as a recurring setting and almost a character across Jones's novels, grounding her themes of belonging and home.
- Elisabeth Egan notes Jones's deep ties to Atlanta bookstores and how the city maps the arc of her career.
Big Themes Delivered With Light Touch
- Kin balances sweeping themes—motherhood, class, civil rights—while remaining accessible and voice-driven.
- Lauren Christensen calls the plotting intricate yet effortless, praising equal investment in both protagonists' paths.
Characters Arrive Fully Formed
- Jones's character work is precise: voices and many supporting figures feel distinct without needing a cast list.
- Elisabeth Egan highlights that readers can identify Annie and Nisi instantly and remember brief secondary characters vividly.
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Intro
00:00 • 49sec
Overview of Kin and hosts' enthusiasm
00:49 • 1min
Elisabeth Egan's profile of Tayari Jones
01:56 • 1min
Plot setup: Annie and Niecy's story
03:23 • 2min
Tayari Jones' writing origins and career arc
04:57 • 3min
Recurring themes: Atlanta and family
08:25 • 1min
Initial reactions and praise for Kin's craft
09:38 • 8min
Motherlessness and class shaping lives
17:47 • 3min
Many mothers and chosen family
20:21 • 5min
Ad break
25:19 • 2min
Reader responses and community comments
27:06 • 2min
Joette and Niecy's forbidden love
28:49 • 3min
Civil rights undercurrent and author's nods
31:30 • 2min
Spoiler alert and the turning point
33:15 • 26sec
Annie's fate and its emotional impact
33:41 • 4min
Structure and poignancy of the ending
37:51 • 3min
Book recommendations after Kin
40:46 • 5min
More suggested reads and final thoughts
46:02 • 2min
Outro
48:18 • 2min
#
The Calamity Club
Kathryn Stockett
#
The untelling
Tayari Jones
Tayari Jones's 'The Untelling' delves into the effects of past traumas and secrets on present relationships, following characters as they navigate truth, memory, and reconciliation.
The novel combines keen psychological insight with Jones's characteristic focus on community and family dynamics.
Through precise, affecting prose, Jones examines how unspoken histories shape identity and intimacy.
The book continues her interest in moral ambiguity and the costs of keeping or revealing secrets.
It reinforces Jones's reputation for emotionally resonant, character-driven fiction.
#92846
The Renovation
Kenan Orhan
Kenan Orhan's debut novel follows Dilara, a Turkish exile living in Italy, who discovers her renovated bathroom has become a magical rendition of Salivri Prison; the surreal transformation forces her and her family to confront memories, political displacement, and the demands of caregiving for an ailing father.
The book blends political commentary on authoritarianism in Turkey with intimate portrayals of dementia and family obligations, using the prison as both literal and metaphorical space.
Orhan draws on personal experience and family history, particularly memories tied to Istanbul and his grandmother's early signs of memory loss.
Themes of huzun — a melancholic longing for a lost homeland — and the impossibility of returning to a past Turkey permeate the narrative.
The novel mixes realism with magical-surreal elements to examine how personal and political pasts imprison and define the present.
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This Is Not About You
Rosemary MacCabe
In 'This Is Not About You', Rosemary MacCabe explores how her life decisions were often influenced by her romantic relationships.
The memoir delves into her dating history, revealing how her choices, both big and small, were shaped by her desire to be loved and to be in love.
MacCabe recounts experiences from her college years to her later life, examining the societal pressures and personal vulnerabilities that drove her decisions.
She reflects on the challenges and emotional complexities of these relationships with self-awareness and honesty.
Through her narrative, MacCabe questions the intrinsic need to be in love and the impact it had on her life, career, and sense of self.
#
Who Will Run the Frog Hospital
Laurie Moore
#
Clutch
Why Some People Excel Under Pressure and Others Don’t
Paul Sullivan
#57132
Beaches
Iris Rainer Dart
The novel follows the lives of Cee Cee Bloom, a spirited redhead with ambitions in Hollywood, and Bertie White, a quiet conservative woman who dreams of family life.
Their friendship, formed as children on a beach in 1951, endures through life's challenges, including fame, marriage, and loss.
The story explores themes of love, loyalty, and the power of lasting friendship.
#81858
South to America
A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation
Imani Perry
In this book, Imani Perry travels to over a dozen cities and towns in the American South, interviewing local residents and documenting the histories of these locales.
The book combines history, literary criticism, journalism, and memoir to explore the complex and troubled history of the South, including historical figures, massacres, and contemporary racially motivated crimes.
Perry argues that racism is deeply ingrained in the American South and its effects continue to permeate modern American society.
The book also includes personal reflections on her own family's history and her experiences growing up in the South.
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An American Marriage
Tayari Jones
Sean Crisden
Eisa Davis
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones tells the story of Roy and Celestial, a young African-American couple living in Atlanta.
Their lives are torn apart when Roy is wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit.
The novel explores the complexities of marriage, racial injustice, and personal identity through their experiences.
It is a powerful exploration of love, loyalty, and the human impact of systemic injustices.
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Kin
Paul Carmichael
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Sula
Toni Morrison
Published in 1973, 'Sula' by Toni Morrison is a novel that delves into the intricate and often fraught relationship between two childhood friends, Sula Peace and Nel Wright, growing up in the African American community of the Bottom in Ohio.
The narrative explores themes of friendship, identity, freedom, and the consequences of societal expectations.
Sula, who challenges traditional norms and lives a life of independence, and Nel, who opts for a conventional life as a wife and mother, find their bond tested by a tragic incident and later by Sula's affair with Nel's husband.
The novel questions the terms 'good' and 'evil', highlighting the ambiguity and complexity of human relationships and the impact of societal judgments.
Through the characters' experiences, Morrison examines issues of motherhood, black masculinity, and the constraints faced by black people in a small-town environment.
#21464
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The Vanishing Half
Brit Bennett
The Vanishing Half is a multi-generational family saga that follows the lives of identical twin sisters Desiree and Stella Vignes.
Raised in the fictional town of Mallard, Louisiana, where residents are exclusively people with light skin, the twins experience a formative moment when they witness the lynching of their father and later decide to run away to New Orleans at the age of 16.
Stella begins to pass as white, securing a job as a secretary and eventually marrying a wealthy white man, while Desiree marries a dark-skinned man and faces an abusive marriage.
The novel spans from the 1940s to the 1990s, exploring the complex lives of the twins and their daughters, Jude and Kennedy, delving into themes of race, gender, class, and the consequences of identity choices.
#6442
• Mentioned in 8 episodes
Cat's Eye
Margaret Atwood
In 'Cat's Eye', Margaret Atwood tells the story of Elaine Risley, a successful painter who returns to Toronto for a retrospective of her artwork.
The narrative alternates between Elaine's middle-aged years and her childhood, where she was subjected to intense bullying by her friends, particularly the charismatic and manipulative Cordelia.
Elaine develops various coping strategies, including self-harm and escapism through art, as she navigates the complexities of her relationships and the impact of her childhood experiences on her adult life.
The book explores themes of bullying, parental handling of such situations, and the long-term effects of childhood trauma on personal development and empathy.
#57105
Silver Sparrow
Tayari Jones
Silver Sparrow is a poignant exploration of family secrets, deception, and sisterhood.
The story revolves around James Witherspoon, a bigamist with two families: one public and one secret.
His daughters, Dana and Chaurisse, form a friendship unaware of their true relationship, leading to a dramatic revelation of secrets and shattered illusions.
The novel delves into themes of identity, class, and the complexities of human relationships.
#97984
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois
Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
The novel follows Ailey Pearl Garfield as she uncovers her family's complex past, spanning from slavery to the present.
It delves into themes such as colorism, addiction, and the legacy of trauma, weaving historical narratives with personal stories.
The title pays homage to W.E. B.
Du Bois, reflecting his influence on the narrative.
Tayari Jones’s new novel, “Kin,” follows two orphaned girls, Annie and Niecy, who grow up together in Louisiana in the 1950s. Annie was abandoned as a baby when her mother ran away to Memphis, while Niecy was orphaned when her father murdered her mother. The girls grow up under the shadow of loss, but at the very least they have each other, two “cradle friends” so close they’re practically sisters.
After high school, though, they take different paths: Niecy sets out for Spelman College to try to make a name for herself, while Annie flees to Memphis to seek the mother she never knew. Along the way, each must confront major questions about love and family, including what sacrifices are acceptable to achieve them.
On this week’s episode, host MJ Franklin talks about “Kin” with his colleagues Lauren Christensen and Elisabeth Egan.
Other books mentioned in this episode:
“An American Marriage,” “The Untelling” and “Silver Sparrow,” by Tayari Jones
“Clutch,” by Emily Nemens
“This Is Not About Us,” by Allegra Goodman
“Lonely Crowds,” by Stephanie Wambugu
“The Vanishing Half,” by Brit Bennett
“The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois,” by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
“Sula,” by Toni Morrison
“Beaches,” by Iris R. Dart
“Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?,” by Lorrie Moore
“Cat’s Eye,” by Margaret Atwood
“The Calamity Club,” by Kathryn Stockett
“South to America,” by Imani Perry
“Witness and Respair,” by Jesmyn Ward
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