Hope and Glory - by Jendella Benson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

One of the year's most anticipated by Marie Claire, Essence, Debutiful, & Goodreads

A brilliant debut by a British-Nigerian author--a heartfelt family drama that will delight book club readers and fans of books like The Girl with the Louding Voice and Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows.

"Jendella Benson has drawn such a compelling world. The book and the characters stayed with me long after I'd turned the final pages!" --Candice Carty-Williams, bestselling author of Queenie

Glory Akindele returns to London from her seemingly glamorous life in LA to mourn the sudden death of her father, only to find her previously close family has fallen apart in her absence. Her brother, Victor, is in jail and won't speak to her because she didn't come home for his trial. Her older sister, Faith, once a busy career woman, appears to have lost her independence and ambition, and is instead channeling her energies into holding together a perfect suburban family. Worst of all, their mother, Celeste, is headed toward a breakdown after the death of her husband and the shame of her son's incarceration.

Rather than returning to America, Glory decides to stay and try to bring them all together again. It's a tall order given that Glory's life isn't exactly working out according to plan either, and she's acutely aware that she's not so sure who she is and what she wants.

A chance reunion with a man she'd known in her teens--the perceptive but elusive Julian--gives her the courage to start questioning why her respectable but obsessively private Nigerian immigrant family is the way it is. But then Glory's questioning unearths a massive secret that shatters the family's fragile peace--and she risks losing everyone she deeply cares about in her pursuit of the truth and a reunited family.

"Filled with unexpected, but earned, twists, Hope and Glory balances moments of rich humor and devastating profundity...deeply authentic." --Kirkus Reviews

"A sumptuous and satisfying meditation on family and the meaning of home." --Publishers Weekly

Review Quotes

"Benson expertly portrays the anguish, friction, and love of a family under immense strain while providing insights on the difficulties faced by immigrants. The result is a sumptuous and satisfying meditation on family and the meaning of home." -- Publishers Weekly

"Filled with unexpected, but earned, twists, Benson's novel balances moments of rich humor and devastating profundity....Benson's greatest success is her ability to write characters and family dynamics that feel deeply authentic." -- Kirkus Reviews

"A sweeping, rich tale that explores family, secrets, loss, love and redemption." -- Bolu Babalola, author of Love in Color

"Hope and Glory is a wonderful book. The novel explores grief, love, friendship, dreams lost, life interrupted. All the characters are flawed, loveable, maddening and so honest you feel like you know them; the plot is compelling and touching at the same time. Jendella Benson has created a story that is intricate, beautiful and so very real. I held my breath, gasped out loud and devoured every gorgeous page. Just brilliant." -- Dorothy Koomson author of All My Lies Are True

"A compelling and compassionate book that's at once heartbreaking and hopeful. Jendella Benson paints a family portrait that's tender and messy and true." -- Chloe Ashby, author of Wet Paint

"Jendella Benson has drawn such a compelling world that Hope and Glory. The book and the characters stayed with me long after I'd turned the final pages!" -- Candice Carty-Williams, bestselling author of QUEENIE

"I loved Hope and Glory so much. Family drama, family saga, crime, romance, humour, secrets, revelations and a story to keep you up late into the night. Reading this book was like eating a delicious bowl of soup with plenty assorted meat. Buy it, read it, pass it on.."

-- Chibundo Onuzo, author of Sankofa

"Once I started reading, I couldn't stop! Jendella's writing is spellbinding, so beautiful. I felt every emotion on the page." -- Lizzie Damilola Blackburn, author of Yinka, Where is your Huzband?