Lita - by Jervey Tervalon (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In this sequel to his acclaimed "urban masterpiece" (The Philadelphia Inquirer), the national bestseller Dead Above Ground, Jervey Tervalon's unforgettable heroine, Lita Du Champ, is at loose ends, trying to hold house and home together. Ten years after she, her husband, their children, and her twin sisters moved to Los Angeles, the past comes back to haunt her. An unwelcome phone call reveals that Lita's estranged father is on his deathbed and that her aunt has seen Lita's beloved mother -- never mind that the woman has been dead for a decade. Overwhelmed by long-suppressed memories, Lita realizes that she must return to New Orleans to come to terms with her history, but as she makes the journey a growing sense of dread takes root in her soul. She's certain there will be no simple return to the life she led in Los Angeles.

Review Quotes

Black Issues Book Review Tervalon's writing is crisp and concise, sweet and tart like a ripe Fuji apple. [His] work has grown richer....

Kirkus Reviews A return visit to the monstrously twisted family of Dead Above Ground....Hair raising and hellish.

Los Angeles Times Lita is fierce....You'd know her if you met her. And that is one of the highest compliments a reader can give a writer.

Henry Louis Gates Jr. A powerful new voice n American fiction.

About the Author

Jervey Tervalon is the author of All the Trouble You Need, Understand This, and the Los Angeles Times bestseller Dead Above Ground. An award-winning poet, screenwriter, and dramatist, Jervey was born in New Orleans, raised in Los Angeles, and now lives with his wife and two daughters in Altadena, California.