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The Unsettled
From the best-selling author of The Twelve Tribes of Hattie comes a searing multi-generational novel—set in the 1980s in racially and politically turbulent Philadelphia and in the tiny town of Bonaparte, Alabama—about a mother fighting for her sanity and survival.
From the moment Ava Carson and her ten-year-old son, Toussaint, arrive at the Glenn Avenue family shelter in Philadelphia 1985, Ava is already plotting a way out. She is repulsed by the shelter's squalid conditions: their cockroach-infested room, the barely edible food, and the shifty night security guard. She is determined to rescue her son from the perils and indignities of that place, and to save herself from the complicated past that led them there.
From the moment Ava Carson and her ten-year-old son, Toussaint, arrive at the Glenn Avenue family shelter in Philadelphia 1985, Ava is already plotting a way out. She is repulsed by the shelter's squalid conditions: their cockroach-infested room, the barely edible food, and the shifty night security guard. She is determined to rescue her son from the perils and indignities of that place, and to save herself from the complicated past that led them there.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published April 7, 2022
350 people are currently reading
17.2k people want to read
About the author
Ayana Mathis
10books637followersAyana Mathis is a graduate of the Iowa Writers� Workshop and is a recipient of the Michener-Copernicus Fellowship. THE TWELVE TRIBES OF HATTIE is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 480 reviews
March 5, 2024
3.5⭐️
In 1985, ten-year-old Toussant Wright and his mother Ava are rendered homeless after Ava's husband Abemi threw them out of their home in New Jersey. Penniless and with nowhere to go, they eventually land in Philadelphia, where they are allotted a room in the Glenn Avenue Family Shelter. Forced to survive in the less-than-ideal living conditions of Room 813, Ava struggles to stay afloat and finds it difficult to secure employment despite having worked before she was married and Toussant finds it equally difficult to adjust to his new surroundings. Ava often shares stories of her childhood spent in Bonaparte, Alabama, with Toussant. Her mother, Duchess, who still lives there among friends, takes pride in her community, but her journey has not been an easy one. Times have changed, and many of her near and dear ones have left Bonaparte, but Duchess has stayed on and is fighting to protect their land from the clutches of corrupt land developers. Ava and Duchess are estranged, having drifted apart after Ava left Bonaparte hoping for a fresh start away from the memories of an unhappy childhood, but her life hasn’t turned out the way she had hoped. In the present day, Toussant’s biological father Cassius Wright re-enters her life she is quick to trust him. Cassius is a doctor and former Black Panther who now leads a cult-like commune “Ark� from a home on Ephraim Avenue, where he also runs an illegal health clinic. As the narrative progresses, it becomes evident that Cassius� volatile temperament and controlling nature will change the trajectory of Toussant’s and Ava’s lives in a way neither of them had anticipated.
The Unsettled by Ayana Mathis is a heartbreaking story. The story is presented through multiple perspectives woven together in a relatively slow-paced yet engaging narrative that revolves around themes of racial discrimination and segregation, poverty, homelessness, mental illness and generational trauma. Needless to say, this book is not an easy read. The characters are well thought out and though I would have liked certain aspects of the novel (such as the reasons behind the rift between Ava and Duchess) to have been explored further overall I felt that the author has done a remarkable job of depicting the dynamics between these complex characters. The prose is excellent and though I liked how the different threads of this story intersected, I did find the narrative a tad disjointed. I was left with several unanswered questions, and this detracted from my overall reading experience.
Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on September 26, 2023.
Connect with me! � � �
In 1985, ten-year-old Toussant Wright and his mother Ava are rendered homeless after Ava's husband Abemi threw them out of their home in New Jersey. Penniless and with nowhere to go, they eventually land in Philadelphia, where they are allotted a room in the Glenn Avenue Family Shelter. Forced to survive in the less-than-ideal living conditions of Room 813, Ava struggles to stay afloat and finds it difficult to secure employment despite having worked before she was married and Toussant finds it equally difficult to adjust to his new surroundings. Ava often shares stories of her childhood spent in Bonaparte, Alabama, with Toussant. Her mother, Duchess, who still lives there among friends, takes pride in her community, but her journey has not been an easy one. Times have changed, and many of her near and dear ones have left Bonaparte, but Duchess has stayed on and is fighting to protect their land from the clutches of corrupt land developers. Ava and Duchess are estranged, having drifted apart after Ava left Bonaparte hoping for a fresh start away from the memories of an unhappy childhood, but her life hasn’t turned out the way she had hoped. In the present day, Toussant’s biological father Cassius Wright re-enters her life she is quick to trust him. Cassius is a doctor and former Black Panther who now leads a cult-like commune “Ark� from a home on Ephraim Avenue, where he also runs an illegal health clinic. As the narrative progresses, it becomes evident that Cassius� volatile temperament and controlling nature will change the trajectory of Toussant’s and Ava’s lives in a way neither of them had anticipated.
The Unsettled by Ayana Mathis is a heartbreaking story. The story is presented through multiple perspectives woven together in a relatively slow-paced yet engaging narrative that revolves around themes of racial discrimination and segregation, poverty, homelessness, mental illness and generational trauma. Needless to say, this book is not an easy read. The characters are well thought out and though I would have liked certain aspects of the novel (such as the reasons behind the rift between Ava and Duchess) to have been explored further overall I felt that the author has done a remarkable job of depicting the dynamics between these complex characters. The prose is excellent and though I liked how the different threads of this story intersected, I did find the narrative a tad disjointed. I was left with several unanswered questions, and this detracted from my overall reading experience.
Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on September 26, 2023.
Connect with me! � � �
September 21, 2023
4.5 stars
The Unsettled is one of those books I won't soon forget. A story and characters that make you think, and make you feel. Sounds quite simple but not every book provides a worthwhile reading experience like this one. A tough read but I highly recommend checking it out.
Ava Carson grew up in the small town of Bonaparte, Alabama. It's now 1985 and she is the mother of a ten year old boy, Toussaint. When they arrive at a family shelter in Philadelphia, Ava knows she must quickly get back on her feet as the living conditions at this place are horrible, to put it mildly. However, providing the life she wants for herself and her kid, might be easier said than done.
The story bounces around among various characters but the true focus is on Ava, Toussaint, and Ava's mother, Dutchess, who still lives in Bonaparte. The book's title is spot on as the characters are unsettled and as the reader your anxiety level rises as the story goes on. You have that unsettled feeling too and that's a credit to the writing as you feel invested in the 3 generations of family members.
With the character of Dutchess, the author is able to explore rural life for Blacks in the South not just in the 80s but also previous decades. Ava is still somewhat a mystery to me because she is such a complex character but that just makes her even more fascinating. I like how she wasn't such an open book. Toussaint is the heart of the story and some of that is due to his age and the desire for him to have a better future.
Thank you Knopf for providing an advance copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
The Unsettled is one of those books I won't soon forget. A story and characters that make you think, and make you feel. Sounds quite simple but not every book provides a worthwhile reading experience like this one. A tough read but I highly recommend checking it out.
Ava Carson grew up in the small town of Bonaparte, Alabama. It's now 1985 and she is the mother of a ten year old boy, Toussaint. When they arrive at a family shelter in Philadelphia, Ava knows she must quickly get back on her feet as the living conditions at this place are horrible, to put it mildly. However, providing the life she wants for herself and her kid, might be easier said than done.
The story bounces around among various characters but the true focus is on Ava, Toussaint, and Ava's mother, Dutchess, who still lives in Bonaparte. The book's title is spot on as the characters are unsettled and as the reader your anxiety level rises as the story goes on. You have that unsettled feeling too and that's a credit to the writing as you feel invested in the 3 generations of family members.
With the character of Dutchess, the author is able to explore rural life for Blacks in the South not just in the 80s but also previous decades. Ava is still somewhat a mystery to me because she is such a complex character but that just makes her even more fascinating. I like how she wasn't such an open book. Toussaint is the heart of the story and some of that is due to his age and the desire for him to have a better future.
Thank you Knopf for providing an advance copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
August 9, 2023
A bit of a slow burn, a strong incomplete finish. This book is aptly titled, because the characters as well as the fictional town of Bonaparte, AL are all unsettled in some way. Ava is bouncing around Philadelphia,PA after having left Bonaparte, AL in an attempt to become an adult far too early and clearly before she’s ready. Ava is unsettled in that, she has no stable home after her husband puts her out, her mind is also unstable and unsettled as she tries to balance her present while reconciling her past. She is attempting to deal with life while raising her son, Toussaint.
When Ava reconnects with Toussaint’s father Cass, she feels that the light to stability may have gotten a little brighter. But Cass is now the leader of the Ark, a collective commune that in a daring literary move by Mathis, has echoes of the infamously legendary group MOVE. MOVE was firebombed out of existence by “black� mayor Wilson(NO)Goode. The thinly veiled references include the back to nature movement, the tensions with the broader community and of course the consistent constant police harassment.
As the Ark begins its descent into oblivion, Toussaint seeks to find a way into a relevant existence. It begins with a letter to his grandmother in Bonaparte, AL. She was previously unaware of his being because Ava never mentioned him to her mother. This is a well written and engaging story about how easy it is to fall between the cracks, especially for women and find your self unsettled. I think Ms. Mathis has done a great job here in creating empathy for Ava, even while unsettling her readers. Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf publishing for an advanced DRC. Book drops September 26, 2023. I’m sure Ms. Mathis will be thoroughly queried about her allusions to MOVE.
When Ava reconnects with Toussaint’s father Cass, she feels that the light to stability may have gotten a little brighter. But Cass is now the leader of the Ark, a collective commune that in a daring literary move by Mathis, has echoes of the infamously legendary group MOVE. MOVE was firebombed out of existence by “black� mayor Wilson(NO)Goode. The thinly veiled references include the back to nature movement, the tensions with the broader community and of course the consistent constant police harassment.
As the Ark begins its descent into oblivion, Toussaint seeks to find a way into a relevant existence. It begins with a letter to his grandmother in Bonaparte, AL. She was previously unaware of his being because Ava never mentioned him to her mother. This is a well written and engaging story about how easy it is to fall between the cracks, especially for women and find your self unsettled. I think Ms. Mathis has done a great job here in creating empathy for Ava, even while unsettling her readers. Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf publishing for an advanced DRC. Book drops September 26, 2023. I’m sure Ms. Mathis will be thoroughly queried about her allusions to MOVE.
July 22, 2023
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Randomhouse for the advance copy.
This book unsettled me, and it was also a book I thought I would not finish. It turns out you have to get uncomfortable with this novel to get to the good stuff.
Ava and Toussaint get kicked out of the story by Ava's husband, which leads to the search for shelter. We are also introduced to Dutchess (Ava's mom), who lives in a town called Bonaparte. Because the depiction was so lush, I imagined this settlement to be nothing more than a sizable clearing in the middle of a forest. There's something eerie about this town and Ava and Tousy's situation. I couldn't put my finger on it, and I think that's the reason why I struggled in the middle of this book. I was trying to place pieces of the puzzle when everything had not been laid out for me yet. Proceed with caution when reading, as you may get confused too.
Onto Ava's situation or mindset: she is one of those individuals who feels I am too good for this homeless shelter but must stay because I have nowhere else to go. It infuriated me because, girl, please!! This type of behavior Ava exhibits trickles over onto her child, Toussaint. I am not entirely sure if this woman was so unsettled by life that she could not see the needs of her child, but he was constantly crying out for help throughout the entire book. It's interesting because at first I was invested in Ava, but when I started to hear Toussaint's thoughts, I immediately switched to him. Toussaint has a relentless need to belong. The reader may trace the progression of this theme as well as how identity, grief, and the importance of love are defined. These characters in this book are all unsettled in some way, shape, or form. They are struggling to find a place to call home.
As bad as I wanted Ava and Tousy to have a stable place to live. Having Cassius Wright (Ava's partner and Toussaint's father) in their lives was anything but that. It actually got worse, in my opinion, and I'm excited to hear what everyone thinks about him once he's introduced.
Ava and Toussaint move from place to place. Dutchess even reflects on how her younger years were traumatizing and unstable. Cassius Wright (Ava's partner) moves from place to place too. There is a constant weight on everyone's shoulders. There are so many things to unpack in this book, but this review is getting long. Please someone go request this book so we can ride an emotional rollercoaster together. I still have unanswered questions, and maybe I will get to participate in an author talk, and when more people I know read this book, I can ask them as well.
- Was that a cult in this book?
- Why were the scenes in the beginning so choppy?
- Does Toussaint get a book of his own?
- Does Ava have Stockholm Syndrome or another condition?
- How does Bonaparte play an important role in this story?
4.5/5⭐️
This book unsettled me, and it was also a book I thought I would not finish. It turns out you have to get uncomfortable with this novel to get to the good stuff.
Ava and Toussaint get kicked out of the story by Ava's husband, which leads to the search for shelter. We are also introduced to Dutchess (Ava's mom), who lives in a town called Bonaparte. Because the depiction was so lush, I imagined this settlement to be nothing more than a sizable clearing in the middle of a forest. There's something eerie about this town and Ava and Tousy's situation. I couldn't put my finger on it, and I think that's the reason why I struggled in the middle of this book. I was trying to place pieces of the puzzle when everything had not been laid out for me yet. Proceed with caution when reading, as you may get confused too.
Onto Ava's situation or mindset: she is one of those individuals who feels I am too good for this homeless shelter but must stay because I have nowhere else to go. It infuriated me because, girl, please!! This type of behavior Ava exhibits trickles over onto her child, Toussaint. I am not entirely sure if this woman was so unsettled by life that she could not see the needs of her child, but he was constantly crying out for help throughout the entire book. It's interesting because at first I was invested in Ava, but when I started to hear Toussaint's thoughts, I immediately switched to him. Toussaint has a relentless need to belong. The reader may trace the progression of this theme as well as how identity, grief, and the importance of love are defined. These characters in this book are all unsettled in some way, shape, or form. They are struggling to find a place to call home.
As bad as I wanted Ava and Tousy to have a stable place to live. Having Cassius Wright (Ava's partner and Toussaint's father) in their lives was anything but that. It actually got worse, in my opinion, and I'm excited to hear what everyone thinks about him once he's introduced.
Ava and Toussaint move from place to place. Dutchess even reflects on how her younger years were traumatizing and unstable. Cassius Wright (Ava's partner) moves from place to place too. There is a constant weight on everyone's shoulders. There are so many things to unpack in this book, but this review is getting long. Please someone go request this book so we can ride an emotional rollercoaster together. I still have unanswered questions, and maybe I will get to participate in an author talk, and when more people I know read this book, I can ask them as well.
- Was that a cult in this book?
- Why were the scenes in the beginning so choppy?
- Does Toussaint get a book of his own?
- Does Ava have Stockholm Syndrome or another condition?
- How does Bonaparte play an important role in this story?
4.5/5⭐️
September 28, 2023
This book just did not work for me. Had it not been for receiving a free ARC in exchange for honest review I would have not finished it. Definitely a struggle, the story takes us to Ava and her son Touissant and their struggle of being homeless, then living with a rebel type doctor who is the father of her son. Also goes back to perspective of Ava’s mother in Bonaparte Alabama and does not flow well between perspectives at all. Felt there were numerous occasions of rambling, things that did not make sense and were not explained at all. One example I can give, Ava is watching a scene between security guard at homeless housing apartments and a woman having sex and with no explanation then she is the one having sex with him. It was so disconjointed and Ava while she may have mental health issues complains about any and every situation, even when people are trying to help her.
I do not recommend this read.
Thanks to Netgalley for my electronic advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.
I do not recommend this read.
Thanks to Netgalley for my electronic advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.
December 14, 2023
I really wanted to like this book. It started off with grabbing my interest but I found myself as I continued in the story that I wanted to give up on the book. It just wasn’t for me.
December 1, 2023
That was such a difficult read, but well worth it.
The first half of the book is a slow build. The despair and anxiety is written so well, I kept having to put it down. The second half takes off and the desperate anxiety moves into frantic anxiety. Beautifully written.
What are the effects of racial trauma on a family? The trauma begets more trauma, and the way one is broken leaves them open to be hurt over and over by other broken people. The generation trauma inflicted on this Black family over the decades breaks each generation in different ways.
For more background info and context for historical moments mentioned in this book, (Just the things that stood out to me. I'm not a Black History expert so I'm sure there's more I'm not aware of,) Google the 1985 MOVE bombing in Philadelphia, the Haitian revolutionary Toussaint L'Overture, and the Great Land Robbery (hint: estimated over 90% of land owned by Black farmers has been stolen from them.)
The first half of the book is a slow build. The despair and anxiety is written so well, I kept having to put it down. The second half takes off and the desperate anxiety moves into frantic anxiety. Beautifully written.
What are the effects of racial trauma on a family? The trauma begets more trauma, and the way one is broken leaves them open to be hurt over and over by other broken people. The generation trauma inflicted on this Black family over the decades breaks each generation in different ways.
For more background info and context for historical moments mentioned in this book, (Just the things that stood out to me. I'm not a Black History expert so I'm sure there's more I'm not aware of,) Google the 1985 MOVE bombing in Philadelphia, the Haitian revolutionary Toussaint L'Overture, and the Great Land Robbery (hint: estimated over 90% of land owned by Black farmers has been stolen from them.)
September 19, 2023
Every type of pain and trauma that a person can endure is depicted in some type of way in this story.
I don’t wanna say I enjoyed the story, because it is truly sad and painful. The author did a great job (in my opinion) of brining the story and its characters to life, but I was left with so many questions and no type of closure or healing. That was a disappointment. Maybe we’ll meet these characters again.
This would be a good book club selection.
I don’t wanna say I enjoyed the story, because it is truly sad and painful. The author did a great job (in my opinion) of brining the story and its characters to life, but I was left with so many questions and no type of closure or healing. That was a disappointment. Maybe we’ll meet these characters again.
This would be a good book club selection.
October 7, 2023
"Toussaint was the kite and Ava was the string."
* I may post a review later. In Deep Thoughts right now...
* I may post a review later. In Deep Thoughts right now...
August 18, 2023
I am so thankful that NetGalley approved me for an ARC of the “The Unsettled� by Ayana Mathis. “The Unsettled� is more than just a good book or a fascinating read. It is a love story, a gospel, a lamentation, a promise.
The blurb for the book is � A searing multi-generational novel—set in the 1980s in racially and politically turbulent Philadelphia and in the tiny town of Bonaparte, Alabama� about a mother fighting for her sanity and survival.� This is an accurate description of the book’s contents. But it doesn’t get to how you will feel when you finish the story and begin to ponder it all.
I found “The Unsettled� quite literary in style, as well as an engaging and pulsing story. As I read the beginning of the book, I thought/assumed it was going to be about class and racial distinctions. But by the end of the book, I realized it’s not about labels, it’s about real lives. Toussaint and his mother and grandmother are just the same as me. We are all struggling in some way and in similar ways, while the Everlasting looks on.
I highly recommend “The Unsettled�. I suggest that you read it with others- a book club, or Bible study. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy. And many thanks to the author. This is my honest review.
The blurb for the book is � A searing multi-generational novel—set in the 1980s in racially and politically turbulent Philadelphia and in the tiny town of Bonaparte, Alabama� about a mother fighting for her sanity and survival.� This is an accurate description of the book’s contents. But it doesn’t get to how you will feel when you finish the story and begin to ponder it all.
I found “The Unsettled� quite literary in style, as well as an engaging and pulsing story. As I read the beginning of the book, I thought/assumed it was going to be about class and racial distinctions. But by the end of the book, I realized it’s not about labels, it’s about real lives. Toussaint and his mother and grandmother are just the same as me. We are all struggling in some way and in similar ways, while the Everlasting looks on.
I highly recommend “The Unsettled�. I suggest that you read it with others- a book club, or Bible study. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy. And many thanks to the author. This is my honest review.
October 19, 2023
oh, i am so sorry to say that i did not like this one at all.
it moved so slowly, and then i would finally start to feel interested in the Philadelphia story line, and suddenly i was switched back to Alabama.
Everything meandered too much for me - which to be fair isnt usually what i want in a book anyway, but i also didnt feel like i got to know anyone very well. Just a big disconnect for me all around. you can tell i wasnt enjoying it as it took me 10 days to read a 300 page book!
it moved so slowly, and then i would finally start to feel interested in the Philadelphia story line, and suddenly i was switched back to Alabama.
Everything meandered too much for me - which to be fair isnt usually what i want in a book anyway, but i also didnt feel like i got to know anyone very well. Just a big disconnect for me all around. you can tell i wasnt enjoying it as it took me 10 days to read a 300 page book!
February 16, 2024
Marilynne Robinson’s endorsement caught my attention. The protagonist is a preteen boy who yearns to be settled in a comfortable, clean home and regular school attendance. Things went downhill after his single mom married an abusive person, left him, and ended up with her son in a shelter. Then another man enters their lives - here we have a stranger comes to town theme, but the man is no stranger. The book is about very messy family ties that bind. Some surprise twists at the end. I would love to discuss the ending with someone.
November 3, 2023
𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪
Thank you @aaknopf for my #gifted ARC (ŷ win) and @prhaudio for my ALC.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗱
𝗔𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀
⭐⭐⭐⭐
📖 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁: After being kicked out of her home by her husband, now-single mother Ava Carson, with her ten-year-old son Toussaint in tow, navigate homelessness in 1980s Philadelphia. As Ava and Toussaint attempt to assimilate to life in a shelter, they reconnect with someone from their past with ties to a radical political organization. Meanwhile in Alabama, Ava's mother Duchess is battling the remnants of Jim Crow, as we glimpse life in the south for Black Americans in the 80s and before.
💭 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: Never has there ever been a more perfect title. This book is unsettling; the characters are unsettled; and the reader feels a palpable unease. The Unsettled is a moody, literary exploration of motherhood, childhood, racism, sexism, intergenerational trauma, longing and belonging, set during a time of racial and political upheaval. There are many characters, but it primarily focuses on Toussaint, Ava and Duchess. I really appreciate that I had no idea where this was going, and its direction took me by surprise. This is the kind of book that sweeps you away -- so buckle up for the ride.
I do wonder if there will be a second book, as the ending was not tied up neatly in a bow. 🤔
🎧 This is narrated by the brilliant, award-winning Golden Voice narrator and actor Bahni Turpin. Y'all may recognize her from The Hate U Give, You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty, or the countless other audiobooks she's narrated over the years. I chose to read this one with my ears specifically because of Turpin, and she didn't disappoint.
📌 Out now!
📌 An October @bookofthemonth pick
Thank you @aaknopf for my #gifted ARC (ŷ win) and @prhaudio for my ALC.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗱
𝗔𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀
⭐⭐⭐⭐
📖 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁: After being kicked out of her home by her husband, now-single mother Ava Carson, with her ten-year-old son Toussaint in tow, navigate homelessness in 1980s Philadelphia. As Ava and Toussaint attempt to assimilate to life in a shelter, they reconnect with someone from their past with ties to a radical political organization. Meanwhile in Alabama, Ava's mother Duchess is battling the remnants of Jim Crow, as we glimpse life in the south for Black Americans in the 80s and before.
💭 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: Never has there ever been a more perfect title. This book is unsettling; the characters are unsettled; and the reader feels a palpable unease. The Unsettled is a moody, literary exploration of motherhood, childhood, racism, sexism, intergenerational trauma, longing and belonging, set during a time of racial and political upheaval. There are many characters, but it primarily focuses on Toussaint, Ava and Duchess. I really appreciate that I had no idea where this was going, and its direction took me by surprise. This is the kind of book that sweeps you away -- so buckle up for the ride.
I do wonder if there will be a second book, as the ending was not tied up neatly in a bow. 🤔
🎧 This is narrated by the brilliant, award-winning Golden Voice narrator and actor Bahni Turpin. Y'all may recognize her from The Hate U Give, You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty, or the countless other audiobooks she's narrated over the years. I chose to read this one with my ears specifically because of Turpin, and she didn't disappoint.
📌 Out now!
📌 An October @bookofthemonth pick
November 24, 2023
I love a challenge read and The Unsettled is undoubtedly so for me. I think there’s a lot to this story, some of it obvious and some of it not really clear to me until I started writing notes at the end. Here goes-
The title fits. I don’t generally give titles much thought but the tone of this book is one of unease and confusion. The only constant is the change in degree of unsettled feelings.
The people-it somehow doesn’t seem proper to refer to them as characters, a testament to Mathis� writing skills. This is a story of a family led by Dutchess (grandmother), Ava (mother), Toussaint (son). There are a couple of similarities with Dutchess and Ava’s storylines; one being that they were both itinerant for a period of time with a child. Dutchess� story differs in that she was a singer traveling across the South performing in juke joints. Ava has an incomplete college education, working in dead-end jobs that offer little in the form of stability or advancement. Both become enamored with a man. Dutchess found love with Caro when Ava was a little girl. He was the leader of Bonaparte, a small, all Black town in Alabama. After Caro’s murder by white men, Dutchess is inconsolable to the point of neglecting Ava and this has serious consequences for their future. Ava’s relationship with Cass is toxic and codependent, she sees him as the one until he leaves her before Toussaint’s birth. Toussaint, named for Toussaint Loeverture, leader of the Haitian Revolution is a natural born leader. In the beginning he’s quiet and obedient, as time passes from his and Ava’s kind of stable existence in New Jersey to the upheaval and collapse experienced at the Family Shelter to a failed unification at the Ark, Toussaint begins to question everything, a revolution against a life he knows isn’t right.
Commentary- I don’t know a lot of details about the bombing that occurred in Philadelphia and the MOVE organization but I know difference is not usually respected. I don’t agree with brainwashing and cults but I don’t think it’s wrong to question your environment. Something else I noticed was the names and what’s represented; for example, Ark in the Bible represented shelter from the storm and preservation of mankind and a second chance. Ark is the name of community “home� Cass took from Winnie. Progress-name of the business looking to take Bonaparte away from its people. Bonaparte-this is tricky…the only Bonaparte I know is Napoleon…sold land to the US so France could finance war elsewhere. In the book, it’s a sacred place for Black people established for freedom from oppression. At the heart of The Unsettled is the relationships, the good and the bad. What do we expect from each other? How do we deal with disappointment, anger, loss? How do we heal? What does restoration look like? Is it a continuous process?
4-stars this book is slow-paced but there’s so many moving parts it almost has to be to avoid additional confusion. A lot of Ava’s point of view is scrambled, representative of her state of mind. Dutchess is very clear like someone looking back on their life before moving to the next phase. Toussaint’s is like a child-unsure in some moments, resolute in others.
The title fits. I don’t generally give titles much thought but the tone of this book is one of unease and confusion. The only constant is the change in degree of unsettled feelings.
The people-it somehow doesn’t seem proper to refer to them as characters, a testament to Mathis� writing skills. This is a story of a family led by Dutchess (grandmother), Ava (mother), Toussaint (son). There are a couple of similarities with Dutchess and Ava’s storylines; one being that they were both itinerant for a period of time with a child. Dutchess� story differs in that she was a singer traveling across the South performing in juke joints. Ava has an incomplete college education, working in dead-end jobs that offer little in the form of stability or advancement. Both become enamored with a man. Dutchess found love with Caro when Ava was a little girl. He was the leader of Bonaparte, a small, all Black town in Alabama. After Caro’s murder by white men, Dutchess is inconsolable to the point of neglecting Ava and this has serious consequences for their future. Ava’s relationship with Cass is toxic and codependent, she sees him as the one until he leaves her before Toussaint’s birth. Toussaint, named for Toussaint Loeverture, leader of the Haitian Revolution is a natural born leader. In the beginning he’s quiet and obedient, as time passes from his and Ava’s kind of stable existence in New Jersey to the upheaval and collapse experienced at the Family Shelter to a failed unification at the Ark, Toussaint begins to question everything, a revolution against a life he knows isn’t right.
Commentary- I don’t know a lot of details about the bombing that occurred in Philadelphia and the MOVE organization but I know difference is not usually respected. I don’t agree with brainwashing and cults but I don’t think it’s wrong to question your environment. Something else I noticed was the names and what’s represented; for example, Ark in the Bible represented shelter from the storm and preservation of mankind and a second chance. Ark is the name of community “home� Cass took from Winnie. Progress-name of the business looking to take Bonaparte away from its people. Bonaparte-this is tricky…the only Bonaparte I know is Napoleon…sold land to the US so France could finance war elsewhere. In the book, it’s a sacred place for Black people established for freedom from oppression. At the heart of The Unsettled is the relationships, the good and the bad. What do we expect from each other? How do we deal with disappointment, anger, loss? How do we heal? What does restoration look like? Is it a continuous process?
4-stars this book is slow-paced but there’s so many moving parts it almost has to be to avoid additional confusion. A lot of Ava’s point of view is scrambled, representative of her state of mind. Dutchess is very clear like someone looking back on their life before moving to the next phase. Toussaint’s is like a child-unsure in some moments, resolute in others.
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October 25, 2023Why I love it
By Fiora Elbers-Tibbitts
It’s no secret that we on the BOTM editorial team read quite a bit. One consequence of this overexposure is that it takes a lot to shake us, to grip us—to truly strike us as surprising or fresh or otherworldly. The Unsettled is definitively special from its first pages, with prose so alive it made me shiver. We are introduced to young Toussaint Wright through these indelible, haunting words: “Sometimes grief came on him like a sweeping numbness, up from his toes and along his neck so he couldn’t swallow�.
The Unsettled is the story of Toussaint’s mother Ava, who in 1985 arrives at a shelter in Philadelphia. She and Touissant attempt to lay low, ignore the roaches, and imagine a brighter future, but before long the past comes knocking in the form of Touissant’s estranged father, Cass. His bullheaded charisma remains as irresistible as it is destructive; Cass’s vision of Black freedom is inspiring, but his tyrannical ways pose a growing threat to Ava’s already-precarious life. In a parallel timeline down in Alabama, Ava’s mother Dutchess struggles to save her small, historically all-Black town of Bonaparte from encroaching white supremacists, whose violence has been endorsed by the very government that once served to protect this haven.
With all of its moving pieces, The Unsettled is still far greater than the sum of its parts. This novel touches on race, family, activism, and inheritance against a backdrop of real-life events in American history that bring it an even more immediate urgency. Ayana Mathis’s living, breathing prose spins a gorgeous, heartbreaking journey that I will not soon forget.
Read more at:
By Fiora Elbers-Tibbitts
It’s no secret that we on the BOTM editorial team read quite a bit. One consequence of this overexposure is that it takes a lot to shake us, to grip us—to truly strike us as surprising or fresh or otherworldly. The Unsettled is definitively special from its first pages, with prose so alive it made me shiver. We are introduced to young Toussaint Wright through these indelible, haunting words: “Sometimes grief came on him like a sweeping numbness, up from his toes and along his neck so he couldn’t swallow�.
The Unsettled is the story of Toussaint’s mother Ava, who in 1985 arrives at a shelter in Philadelphia. She and Touissant attempt to lay low, ignore the roaches, and imagine a brighter future, but before long the past comes knocking in the form of Touissant’s estranged father, Cass. His bullheaded charisma remains as irresistible as it is destructive; Cass’s vision of Black freedom is inspiring, but his tyrannical ways pose a growing threat to Ava’s already-precarious life. In a parallel timeline down in Alabama, Ava’s mother Dutchess struggles to save her small, historically all-Black town of Bonaparte from encroaching white supremacists, whose violence has been endorsed by the very government that once served to protect this haven.
With all of its moving pieces, The Unsettled is still far greater than the sum of its parts. This novel touches on race, family, activism, and inheritance against a backdrop of real-life events in American history that bring it an even more immediate urgency. Ayana Mathis’s living, breathing prose spins a gorgeous, heartbreaking journey that I will not soon forget.
Read more at:
July 11, 2024
Thank you Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf for accepting my request to read and review The Unsettled on NetGalley.
Published: 09/26/23
Stars: 3.5
There is profanity and I am not condoning the use, I am stating the argument could be made it was socioeconomic setting appropriate and lead to authentic dialogue. I do believe the writer could have been equally effective without the swearing and with the use of her writing skills. Also, the ending confused me.
I thought the storytelling was good. I followed along and wasn't bored. The story is day-to-day life. I laughed, choked up, was teary eyed, and disgusted with human beings throughout the book. The synopsis is clear.
In essence, this is the life of a black woman and her son with a multitude of problems and standards -- hers and societies.
If the language won't bother you, I suggest picking this up. The story is told really well. The language went too far and thus my 3.5 rating.
Published: 09/26/23
Stars: 3.5
There is profanity and I am not condoning the use, I am stating the argument could be made it was socioeconomic setting appropriate and lead to authentic dialogue. I do believe the writer could have been equally effective without the swearing and with the use of her writing skills. Also, the ending confused me.
I thought the storytelling was good. I followed along and wasn't bored. The story is day-to-day life. I laughed, choked up, was teary eyed, and disgusted with human beings throughout the book. The synopsis is clear.
In essence, this is the life of a black woman and her son with a multitude of problems and standards -- hers and societies.
If the language won't bother you, I suggest picking this up. The story is told really well. The language went too far and thus my 3.5 rating.
February 7, 2025
I liked Ayana Mathis's writing a lot but I don't know how I feel about MOVE being the subject of a novel when it seems like none of the former members were consulted.
Thank you Vintage for the gifted review copy!
Thank you Vintage for the gifted review copy!
February 23, 2024
In The Unsettled, we meet Ava after she has fled her comfortable home at 245 Turnstone Pike, James Creek, New Jersey, because of domestic abuse. She and her 10-year-old son, Toussaint, arrive at a family shelter in Philadelphia. It's decrepit, even foul, and Ava looks down her nose at this mélange of women, children, and their misery. How does she arrive at this place of disruption and instability? It started long before her abusive marriage.
The history of this instability is at the heart of this story. Ava’s childhood was spent being dragged from juke joints to speakeasies with her blues-singing mother, Duchess, exposed to adult situations no child should witness. Duchess, too, endured instability as her family fled terror and floods, winding up in a camp of disease and despair. Duchess prevails, however. She and her husband help found a black town, Bonaparte, which experiences a terrorist attack a la Tulsa but attempts to revive itself. Over time, most of the land has been “acquired� by white developers. Duchess fights to hold on to her remaining acres.
Ava leaves Bonaparte, hoping to escape memories of witnessing her beloved father’s death at the hands of white vigilantes who attacked the town. She doesn’t finish college, becomes estranged from her mother, falls pregnant by Cass Wright (a medical doctor and Black Panther), and later marries the man that would give her and Toussaint stability and a home (before his abusive tendencies surfaced). Ava is infuriating; her intentions are worthy, but her decision-making abilities usually include men. At the shelter, she plans her "escape" back to Bonaparte.
As much as I wanted Ava to be more attentive to her observant and sensitive boy, the author makes clear how circumstances and trauma govern interactions. Emotions reign supreme in The Unsettled. Ava and her mother both suffer from crippling depression. Toussaint is often hungry and sullen as he navigates a world in which adults are inattentive, absent, or inconsistent. A broken social welfare system and predatory individuals compound human misery.
Ava does find a home of sorts for her and her son (enter the unsavory Cass again). That part of the story is harrowing. I stopped caring about Ava by then; her fickleness did her in for me (kudos to Ayana Mathis for eliciting this response). Instead, I fretted about Toussaint, the only character with any sense. He demonstrates grit, intelligence, and wherewithal. He didn't have much choice. But the big question is, Do they ever make it back to Bonaparte?
The history of this instability is at the heart of this story. Ava’s childhood was spent being dragged from juke joints to speakeasies with her blues-singing mother, Duchess, exposed to adult situations no child should witness. Duchess, too, endured instability as her family fled terror and floods, winding up in a camp of disease and despair. Duchess prevails, however. She and her husband help found a black town, Bonaparte, which experiences a terrorist attack a la Tulsa but attempts to revive itself. Over time, most of the land has been “acquired� by white developers. Duchess fights to hold on to her remaining acres.
Ava leaves Bonaparte, hoping to escape memories of witnessing her beloved father’s death at the hands of white vigilantes who attacked the town. She doesn’t finish college, becomes estranged from her mother, falls pregnant by Cass Wright (a medical doctor and Black Panther), and later marries the man that would give her and Toussaint stability and a home (before his abusive tendencies surfaced). Ava is infuriating; her intentions are worthy, but her decision-making abilities usually include men. At the shelter, she plans her "escape" back to Bonaparte.
As much as I wanted Ava to be more attentive to her observant and sensitive boy, the author makes clear how circumstances and trauma govern interactions. Emotions reign supreme in The Unsettled. Ava and her mother both suffer from crippling depression. Toussaint is often hungry and sullen as he navigates a world in which adults are inattentive, absent, or inconsistent. A broken social welfare system and predatory individuals compound human misery.
Ava does find a home of sorts for her and her son (enter the unsavory Cass again). That part of the story is harrowing. I stopped caring about Ava by then; her fickleness did her in for me (kudos to Ayana Mathis for eliciting this response). Instead, I fretted about Toussaint, the only character with any sense. He demonstrates grit, intelligence, and wherewithal. He didn't have much choice. But the big question is, Do they ever make it back to Bonaparte?
August 26, 2024
c’est difficile de parler de cette lecture. déjà, parce qu’elle était dense, très descriptive. mais surtout parce qu’elle parle de différents travers humains, de la misère, du racisme, de la mémoire. ce n’est pas un livre qui aborde la joie.
à titre personnel, c’est une lecture qui ne m’a pas bouleversée autant que je pensais. ou peut-être que si, parce que les 100 dernières pages étaient déchirantes. mais objectivement, c’était une expérience de lecture brûlante, grinçante. ce livre fait naître l’espoir pour le renverser à nouveau. il aborde très justement l’héritage des esclaves Noirs d’Amérique, que ce soit dans les beaux moments en communauté, et dans la conservation de la mémoire de ce peuple (avec le pdv de Dutchess), autant que dans l’héritage sombre, la haine, le désespoir, tout le racisme qui découle de cette période (comme le subissent Ava. Toussaint, Cass et les autres).
comme je le disais, les 100 dernières pages sentent la déchéance, et elles m’ont vraiment retournée. c’était vraiment dense, et je suis contente d’avoir ce livre en mémoire désormais.
je ne sais pas trop à quoi ressemble cet avis à chaud mais j’espère que tout est compréhensible :)
à titre personnel, c’est une lecture qui ne m’a pas bouleversée autant que je pensais. ou peut-être que si, parce que les 100 dernières pages étaient déchirantes. mais objectivement, c’était une expérience de lecture brûlante, grinçante. ce livre fait naître l’espoir pour le renverser à nouveau. il aborde très justement l’héritage des esclaves Noirs d’Amérique, que ce soit dans les beaux moments en communauté, et dans la conservation de la mémoire de ce peuple (avec le pdv de Dutchess), autant que dans l’héritage sombre, la haine, le désespoir, tout le racisme qui découle de cette période (comme le subissent Ava. Toussaint, Cass et les autres).
comme je le disais, les 100 dernières pages sentent la déchéance, et elles m’ont vraiment retournée. c’était vraiment dense, et je suis contente d’avoir ce livre en mémoire désormais.
je ne sais pas trop à quoi ressemble cet avis à chaud mais j’espère que tout est compréhensible :)
October 23, 2023
Although this story has a lot of heart and deals with important themes, the style of writing feels very disjointed. This may be intentional in some ways, but it made it difficult for me to stay focused, unfortunately. I would probably chalk this up to a personal stylistic preference.
September 14, 2023
Everyone in this novel is unsettled. Even in the tiny hamlet of Bonaparte, Alabama, Dutchess sees the world she has loved threatened by new housing developments and old friends leaving to enjoy their senior years elsewhere. In Philadelphia, her daughter Ava has taken her son and left the most stable home either of them have ever known for a homeless shelter. Cass seeks to create a utopia but builds a shaky cult in a struggling neighborhood.
Ayana Mathis uses the 1985 MOVE bombing as the crux of her story. The characters are complex and not entirely likable but it is hard not to become entangled in their story. You will feel a lot in this novel, mostly anger at the racism, misogyny, hopelessness, deception, and more. Mathis has a literary style that is accessible and sweeping. The story will keep you engaged.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the DRC. This is my honest review.
Ayana Mathis uses the 1985 MOVE bombing as the crux of her story. The characters are complex and not entirely likable but it is hard not to become entangled in their story. You will feel a lot in this novel, mostly anger at the racism, misogyny, hopelessness, deception, and more. Mathis has a literary style that is accessible and sweeping. The story will keep you engaged.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the DRC. This is my honest review.
October 18, 2023
The Unsettled, a story about a mother and her son trying to survive in poverty-stricken Philadelphia in the 1980s, certainly left me that way. Unsetteled. This is not a feel good story and is full of pain and desperation and the upheaval of leaving one abusive relationship only to land in another. Although well written, it is mostly a character driven story, however I had a difficult time connecting with either Ava or Toussaint. There is no doubt that Ava loved her son, however her life choices made me question whether or not she should have continued to have custody over her son. As for Toussaint, I felt bad for the loss of potential in such a smart boy who is dragged down by his family and circumstances, but had trouble truly connecting with him.
I could definitely see this piece being taught in a future black literature class, as it captures mental illness and poverty extremely well. For me personally, it was a just a bit too sad and depressing. Recommended for fans of Toni Morrison and Hanya Yanagihara.
Thank you to NetGalley, Ayana Mathis, and Knopf for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
I could definitely see this piece being taught in a future black literature class, as it captures mental illness and poverty extremely well. For me personally, it was a just a bit too sad and depressing. Recommended for fans of Toni Morrison and Hanya Yanagihara.
Thank you to NetGalley, Ayana Mathis, and Knopf for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 23, 2023
I really looked forward to reading this book. Ava and Toussaint can never seem to get a break. They are dealing with a bad hand but keep moving forward to make a life. Poverty really keeps you down. You see a lot of societies underbelly in this book. There is a lot of sad and deep themes. It’s hard for me to relate having lived a more privileged life. The story is very realistic. I gave it 3 stars but would rate it more 3.5. There is a lot of use of the N word but it’s usually by Ava using it about another black person. As the title is aptly named, at the end of this novel everything still remains unsettled.
February 14, 2024
Excellent!
I am appalled at the negative reviews (take a look if you are curious).
The Unsettled begins with Ava’s experience in a women’s and children’s shelter and the horrible conditions then moves on to the Move bombing in Philadelphia in 1985. All the while the story switches from Philadelphia to rural Alabama and the remains of an African American community.
I am appalled at the negative reviews (take a look if you are curious).
The Unsettled begins with Ava’s experience in a women’s and children’s shelter and the horrible conditions then moves on to the Move bombing in Philadelphia in 1985. All the while the story switches from Philadelphia to rural Alabama and the remains of an African American community.
October 7, 2024
My actual rating is 2,5 stars.
November 7, 2023
I received a complimentary electronic copy of this exceptional novel from Netgalley, author Ayana Mathis, and publisher Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read The Unsettled of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Ayana Mathis is a remarkable writer, with a story that will break your heart while it gives you perspective on hope and defines the harbor of family. I am pleased to recommend her work to friends and family.
We are with Ava Carson and her tween son Toussaint in Philadelphia in 1985 as they seek shelter after being tossed out penniless by her current husband because she can't seem to provide him with a child of his own and her old flame Cass has found her. Ava hasn't worked in the few years she has been married to Abemi and lived with him in New Jersey, though she was a hard worker the balance of her life, in her birthplace in the Negro Town of Bonaparte, Alabama, Incorporated 1868, and all of her son's life in Philadelphia as well after her lover Cass disappeared when she was pregnant. Men had a way of letting Ava down.
Ava was considering going home to her mother Dutchess Carson in Bonaparte once she found work and saved up enough to buy bus tickets. She didn't want to - she could already hear what Dutchess had to say about the mistakes she had made in her life, but Toussaint deserves security in his life. But finding work or going home will not be possible once Cass, Toussaint's father, locates them again in the homeless shelter. Cass is not only politically radical but also a crook and a confidence man. Though aware of this, Ava is immediately completely under his thumb again, and Toussaint is thrilled to finally meet the man who is his dad. Cass is heavily into the whole Black Panther Movement and has been for as long as Ava has known him. Before long she and her son were heavily involved in his efforts with the Panthers, and working hard in the co-operative home he has set up with some of his fellow members. But how long can it last? Philadelphia was a hotbed of unrest during those years of racial unrest. In what way lay safety? What choices does she have?
pub date Sept 26, 2023
Reviewed on September 29, 2023, at ŷ, Netgalley, AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, BookBub, and Kobo.
We are with Ava Carson and her tween son Toussaint in Philadelphia in 1985 as they seek shelter after being tossed out penniless by her current husband because she can't seem to provide him with a child of his own and her old flame Cass has found her. Ava hasn't worked in the few years she has been married to Abemi and lived with him in New Jersey, though she was a hard worker the balance of her life, in her birthplace in the Negro Town of Bonaparte, Alabama, Incorporated 1868, and all of her son's life in Philadelphia as well after her lover Cass disappeared when she was pregnant. Men had a way of letting Ava down.
Ava was considering going home to her mother Dutchess Carson in Bonaparte once she found work and saved up enough to buy bus tickets. She didn't want to - she could already hear what Dutchess had to say about the mistakes she had made in her life, but Toussaint deserves security in his life. But finding work or going home will not be possible once Cass, Toussaint's father, locates them again in the homeless shelter. Cass is not only politically radical but also a crook and a confidence man. Though aware of this, Ava is immediately completely under his thumb again, and Toussaint is thrilled to finally meet the man who is his dad. Cass is heavily into the whole Black Panther Movement and has been for as long as Ava has known him. Before long she and her son were heavily involved in his efforts with the Panthers, and working hard in the co-operative home he has set up with some of his fellow members. But how long can it last? Philadelphia was a hotbed of unrest during those years of racial unrest. In what way lay safety? What choices does she have?
pub date Sept 26, 2023
Reviewed on September 29, 2023, at ŷ, Netgalley, AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, BookBub, and Kobo.
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October 10, 2023The end is already in the beginning in my @bookofthemonth pick #THEUNSETTLED by #ayanamathis. It appears that we know where this story will go, but the getting there is truly extraordinary. It is 1985 and Ava and her son, Toussaint, arrive on the streets of Philadelphia after the siren call of Cass, her former lover and Toussaint’s father, compels her to uproot their lives once again. Concurrently, her mother, Dutchess, is where she has always been, in Bonaparte, Alabama, ever since fate brought her and Ava to Caro, the man who would become a beloved and steady fixture in their lives up until he was brutally taken from them. This rural town, made up of diminishing acres and vanishing families, is still Ava’s legacy, even if she never sets foot there again.
And so, Ava, the perpetual wanderer, finds herself in a family shelter at novel open, reluctant to stay and yet unable to consider her only other option. Bringing her son back to her hometown would mean confronting the ghosts of her past, and Ava is of unsound body and mind. During the months at the shelter, she withdraws from living and is unaware when Toussaint starts skipping school to spend time with what he calls “tent people�. When Ava finds her son, it is too late. In a chapter aptly titled “Lot’s Wife�, Ava relinquishes the path to Bonaparte, and she and Toussaint rejoin Cass, enmeshing herself once more in his unrelenting vision for a fellowship dedicated to Black freedom and brotherhood.
This is such a deeply engaging #bookofthemonth pick. I was completely riveted. There are powerful biblical references - Dutchess survives a terrible flood as a girl, describing how she menstruated with no period products, how the body keeps going regardless of tragedy - as well as several poignant coming of age tales - where young Ava accompanies her sensational mother during her travelling singing days, going from stage to juke joint until they decided to make a home; where Toussaint laments how far from normal his life has become, how little years of courage he has left before he becomes an adult who is afraid. This story is indeed a tragedy, but his is still unwritten.
And so, Ava, the perpetual wanderer, finds herself in a family shelter at novel open, reluctant to stay and yet unable to consider her only other option. Bringing her son back to her hometown would mean confronting the ghosts of her past, and Ava is of unsound body and mind. During the months at the shelter, she withdraws from living and is unaware when Toussaint starts skipping school to spend time with what he calls “tent people�. When Ava finds her son, it is too late. In a chapter aptly titled “Lot’s Wife�, Ava relinquishes the path to Bonaparte, and she and Toussaint rejoin Cass, enmeshing herself once more in his unrelenting vision for a fellowship dedicated to Black freedom and brotherhood.
This is such a deeply engaging #bookofthemonth pick. I was completely riveted. There are powerful biblical references - Dutchess survives a terrible flood as a girl, describing how she menstruated with no period products, how the body keeps going regardless of tragedy - as well as several poignant coming of age tales - where young Ava accompanies her sensational mother during her travelling singing days, going from stage to juke joint until they decided to make a home; where Toussaint laments how far from normal his life has become, how little years of courage he has left before he becomes an adult who is afraid. This story is indeed a tragedy, but his is still unwritten.
December 16, 2023
It took me awhile to do this review because I really had to sit with my thoughts after reading this. I don’t know where to begin but I can say the author picked the perfect title for the book because I was definitely left unsettled and confused.
The novel is told in three alternating perspectives between Ava, Dutchess, and Toussaint taking us deeper into each of their lives. Through each viewpoint we see them experience hardship, heartbreak, loss, failure, grief, and pain. It was unsettling to see how things continued to get worse for these characters before anything got better. By the end of the book I found myself only sympathizing with Toussaint. Nobody knows the true pain one has experienced until their story is told.
Mathis explores the consequences of irrational decisions, the depths of poor parenting passed from generation to generation, the dangers of co-dependency, and how our actions can have an everlasting impact on our life and those around us.
The authors vivid details really helped paint a clear picture of what was happening throughout the book. I did feel some things were out of place and didn’t really make sense. But nothing about the book was predictable I could really feel the authenticity and realism throughout. The emotions and dialogue was depicted in a way that made this all seem too real. Which I think added a lot of richness and depth to the characters.
I didn’t agree with half the things Ava did and felt she was doing to Toussiant exactly what her mother had done to her. Basically creating this never ending cycle of trauma. Can’t say which situation was worse for Ava living in the shelter or dealing with Cass and the mass amount of BS that came with him.
Overall, this was an okay book but I think the structure makes it hard to get through. I was also left with a lot of unanswered questions and felt the book ended so abruptly. Special thanks to the author and @aaknopf for my gifted copy‼️
Rating: 3.5/5⭐️
The novel is told in three alternating perspectives between Ava, Dutchess, and Toussaint taking us deeper into each of their lives. Through each viewpoint we see them experience hardship, heartbreak, loss, failure, grief, and pain. It was unsettling to see how things continued to get worse for these characters before anything got better. By the end of the book I found myself only sympathizing with Toussaint. Nobody knows the true pain one has experienced until their story is told.
Mathis explores the consequences of irrational decisions, the depths of poor parenting passed from generation to generation, the dangers of co-dependency, and how our actions can have an everlasting impact on our life and those around us.
The authors vivid details really helped paint a clear picture of what was happening throughout the book. I did feel some things were out of place and didn’t really make sense. But nothing about the book was predictable I could really feel the authenticity and realism throughout. The emotions and dialogue was depicted in a way that made this all seem too real. Which I think added a lot of richness and depth to the characters.
I didn’t agree with half the things Ava did and felt she was doing to Toussiant exactly what her mother had done to her. Basically creating this never ending cycle of trauma. Can’t say which situation was worse for Ava living in the shelter or dealing with Cass and the mass amount of BS that came with him.
Overall, this was an okay book but I think the structure makes it hard to get through. I was also left with a lot of unanswered questions and felt the book ended so abruptly. Special thanks to the author and @aaknopf for my gifted copy‼️
Rating: 3.5/5⭐️
September 26, 2023
This book is perfectly titled. The characters were unsettled and I am unsettled having read it. There is some tough stuff here, and Ava was the perfect protagonist. She was complex, filled with flaws, like a real person, and it was agonizing yet true to follow her story. The book took some turns I didn't expect, but perhaps should have given the setting. This is the perfect antidote to the pull yourself up by your bootstraps mentality and I'm so happy it is out in the world today!
May 8, 2024
Ayana Mathis's second novel, The Unsettled, explores how poor Black people can build community in a white supremacist, capitalist United States that treats them with consistent hostility. The novel presents us with three different communities. It starts when Ava and her eleven-year-old son, Toussaint, find themselves homeless in Philadelphia in 1985 after Ava flees an abusive marriage, and are forced to enter a shelter in Glenn Avenue. The Glenn Avenue shelter functions as a distorted version of actual collective co-operation: it's meant to support mothers and children, but instead polices them, threatening them with eviction if they don't meet its rules. When Ava's ex-lover and Toussaint's father, Cass, re-emerges, he promises them a different kind of life: a former Black Panther, he's founding a commune which will also function as a neighbourhood health clinic and food bank. But Cass, too, is corrupted, happy to seize others' property in the name of the cause, and to enforce his own beliefs on others through brutal punishment. The third community serves as a contrast to these two punitive places: it's a Black-owned town, Bonaparte, in Alabama, which once was a centre of true communal living but is now in decay, with only four elderly residents left, including Dutchess, Ava's mother.
The Unsettled alternates between sections set in Philadelphia and narrated in third-person by Ava, Touissant and a sequence of other characters, and sections set in Bonaparte and narrated in first-person by Dutchess. For me, it was in Bonaparte that this novel was at its most powerful, although roach-infested Glenn Avenue is also vivid. Mathis's poetic prose deliberately recalls Toni Morrison's earlier novels (e.g. the repeated phrase 'quiet as it's kept') as she depicts the history of this once-enslaved Black community and how it continues in the present:
Bonaparte is how the white people called this place on the banks of the Alabama River... The earth turned on them (told you they was cursed) and sent plagues of insects... First master drowned, washed up covered with leeches. Second master, smallpox. Third, tuberculosis. Fourth master's three sons all died on the same full-moon night. Shiiiit. The spirits don't play. Our mothers neither. Massa so shook up he came down to the cabins... Three weeks later he was dead too. Heartbreak, you reckon. After that there was a lull in masters.
But the rest of The Unsettled drifts, seeming endless even though it's barely over three hundred pages: I both recognised that it had important things to say while having to admit that I rarely felt engaged with it. I honestly don't know why this didn't work as fiction, at least for me; it feels like it should! The three generations of this family are all complex protagonists, even Toussaint, which is important, as children are often just placeholders in multi-generational stories to express the fears and hopes of adults. Cass abuses power but has also done some good. This should be absorbing! My only reflection is that the sections set outside Bonaparte and Glenn Avenue felt directionless compared to the sharp bite of Mathis's critique of welfare or the mythology of the Black-owned town. They were much less distinctive, and so as the focus shifts towards the outside world after the midpoint, I found this increasingly generic. After the advance praise from Marilynne Robinson and Jesmyn Ward, I'd expected more consistent originality. 3.5 stars.
I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.
The Unsettled alternates between sections set in Philadelphia and narrated in third-person by Ava, Touissant and a sequence of other characters, and sections set in Bonaparte and narrated in first-person by Dutchess. For me, it was in Bonaparte that this novel was at its most powerful, although roach-infested Glenn Avenue is also vivid. Mathis's poetic prose deliberately recalls Toni Morrison's earlier novels (e.g. the repeated phrase 'quiet as it's kept') as she depicts the history of this once-enslaved Black community and how it continues in the present:
Bonaparte is how the white people called this place on the banks of the Alabama River... The earth turned on them (told you they was cursed) and sent plagues of insects... First master drowned, washed up covered with leeches. Second master, smallpox. Third, tuberculosis. Fourth master's three sons all died on the same full-moon night. Shiiiit. The spirits don't play. Our mothers neither. Massa so shook up he came down to the cabins... Three weeks later he was dead too. Heartbreak, you reckon. After that there was a lull in masters.
But the rest of The Unsettled drifts, seeming endless even though it's barely over three hundred pages: I both recognised that it had important things to say while having to admit that I rarely felt engaged with it. I honestly don't know why this didn't work as fiction, at least for me; it feels like it should! The three generations of this family are all complex protagonists, even Toussaint, which is important, as children are often just placeholders in multi-generational stories to express the fears and hopes of adults. Cass abuses power but has also done some good. This should be absorbing! My only reflection is that the sections set outside Bonaparte and Glenn Avenue felt directionless compared to the sharp bite of Mathis's critique of welfare or the mythology of the Black-owned town. They were much less distinctive, and so as the focus shifts towards the outside world after the midpoint, I found this increasingly generic. After the advance praise from Marilynne Robinson and Jesmyn Ward, I'd expected more consistent originality. 3.5 stars.
I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.
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