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Lee, an African American female, and Porter, a Caucasian male, meet
while reporting in the midst of the LA riots where she selflessly saves his life. He
is instantly smitten by her beauty and attracted to her strong, self-assured personality.
They meet again in Philadelphia when Lee joins his newspaper's staff. He
pursues her relentlessly and she reluctantly succumbs to his advances and they fall in love.
Although I thought the story started rather slowly, McLarin makes up for the sluggish start by expertly developing
the leads of the story into believable and amiable characters. She also really
delivers with the presentation of the couples individual and collective issues surrounding interracial relationships. We learn about each characters upbringing and how that shapes and influences their
perspectives on racism, politics, and dating. McLarin kept the story real by
injecting some very practical scenarios in which Lee and Porter are allowed be human; their fears, frustrations, and prejudices
are revealed. We see that they are not perfect.
In addition to societal pressures regarding interracial dating, they experience internal conflict and lukewarm reception
from family members and close friends.
As
I read Meeting of the Waters, I couldn't help but wonder if it was a semi-autobiographical story because the innermost thoughts
and actions of the characters seemed so real. I enjoyed the novel and will add
Ms. McLarins first novel to my to read book list.
Nubian
Circle Book Club Rating: 4 Stars
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