First published 1987
Faith Cross sits beside her dying mother's bed in the rural South, listening to final words that will reshape her life. Her mother tells her to find "a good thing" for herself. Faith leaves behind the mysticism and magic of her hometown for Chicago's bright promises. The city pulls her into dark places she never imagined. She falls into prostitution, loses herself to drugs and alcohol, then climbs out into middle-class respectability that feels hollow and false. Each stage of her journey strips away another layer of who she thought she was. A devastating tragedy finally reveals what her mother meant by "a good thing." Faith discovers that the answer was never in any destination but in understanding herself and her place in the world.
Genres: fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, african-american, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, redemption, self-discovery
Setting: Chicago, Rural South
Period: 20th Century, 21st Century
196 pages · Paperback · Atheneum Books
Content warnings: addiction, drug-use