The New York Times Book Review - Jonathan Evison
With a topic as incendiary as immigration at the story's core, Askew could have trod heavily over her subject matter and garnered passionate responses from both sides of the political divide. Instead she personalizes the issue, exploring with a deft hand and an unflinching moral vision the gray areas of an argument so often presented in black and white…Askew's solid prose serves the pulse of the story without calling much attention to the author…she paces her story masterfully. The reader turns the pages with a mounting sense of anticipation and dread…
Publishers Weekly
This compelling, deliberate novel from Askew (The Mercy Seat), told from a rotation of voices and perspectives, delves into the lives of an Oklahoma family and community in the aftermath of new immigration legislation. Sweet Kirkendall is a smalltown wife and mother whose marriage is on autopilot; her son, Carl, is becoming a bully; and, to make matters worse, after her sister dies, her nephew, Dustin, has come to live with them. When Sweet’s father is arrested for harboring undocumented workers, the pre-trial publicity and Carl’s growing aggression drive Sweet to question her core values. With her father refusing to defend himself in court, and Dustin on the lam with one of the farm’s illegal aliens, Sweet musters the courage to act decisively in defense of her family and against the implementation of the controversial new law. The delineation of this fictional state immigration law gets the book off to a slow start, but later Askew introduces an inspired thread about the political ambitions of the bill’s sponsor, state representative Monica Moorehouse, a complex and conflicted character. Although the sections narrated by Dustin sometimes miss the mark, whenever Sweet or Monica are front and center, this novel is rich, rewarding, and humane. Agent: PJ Mark, Janklow & Nesbit. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
Kind of Kin is a kind of miracle. The character Sweet is an American original, doing her best to hold the family she loves together while trying not to fall apart. A winner.” — Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The Shoemaker's Wife
“Wonderful . . . Askew’s unflinching portrait of a family whipsawed from within and without is a story for our time. It’s proof of Askew’s flat-out genius that Kind of Kin is merciless, yet strangely full of mercy.” — Ben Fountain, author Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
“I loved it!!! I stayed up until 4 in the morning … I couldn’t stop thinking about it. That is just one of the magical things about Rilla’s writing…A brilliant portrait of the world today. I just felt hopeful when I was finished.” — Diane Welsh, Barnes & Noble, Cedar Rapids, IA
Passionate, solid, and fair. . . Askew’s characters, whose viewpoints are all over the political map, are well-imagined, thoughtful, and treated with a kindness that is often lacking in the ongoing discussion of this ‘hot button’ topic. It deserves great applause.” — Emily Russo, Greenlight Bookstore, Brooklyn, NY
“Kind of Kin is beautiful, funny, politically alive and savvy. Askew does character like no American writer and her nuanced vision of the relationship between the Big Picture and the lives of regular Americans is unrivaled.” — Paul Ingram, Prairie Lights, Iowa City, IA
“The nature of this wonderful novel is, like the characters, raucous, messy, uncertain and foolishly brave. Askew’s story is brilliant and a most timely look at who is welcome into our lives and how we express and share compassion even while times are tough and language is a barrier.” — Sheryl Cotleur, Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA
“Askew writes a very compelling family drama that features a very hot subject these days-immigration, illegal and otherwise. Religion, civil rights, extended families, and the economic struggles of blue collar families all come into play in this multi-layered novel of life in Oklahoma.” — Jackie Blem, Tattered Cover Book Store, Denver, CO
“Bracing, startling, snort-out-loud funny, heart-rending, Kind of Kin addresses family function and dysfunction, religion, immigration. [Rilla Askew] suggests a very subversive thought. Perhaps we are all a kind of kin. No matter your politics, you will not soon forget this generous work of art.” — Luis Alberto Urrea, author of Queen of America
“Compelling...this novel is rich, rewarding, and humane.” — Publishers Weekly
“Askew deftly weaves together a narrative that foregrounds a number of important contemporary issues: religion, immigration, the economy and the effect of all of these on family life.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Vividly authentic . . . Askew has crafted an uncannily real cast of characters . . . A winner for book clubs...Askew’s sensitive and humanizing treatment of this hot-button issue is sure to provoke thought and discussion no matter what readers’ political leanings may be.” — Shelf Awareness
“A brilliant evocation of Heraclitus’s axiom that character is fate-an ironic evocation she both confirms and turns on its head…Askew immerses us in the frightening dynamics of every situation while illustrating the focused moral prescience of a novelist of superb acumen.” — World Literature Today
“A brilliant evocation of Heraclitus’s axiom that character is fate-an ironic evocation she both confirms and turns on its head…Askew immerses us in the frightening dynamics of every situation while illustrating the focused moral prescience of a novelist of superb acumen.” — Jewish Book World
“Askew’s novel delivers the unexpected. It has moments both funny and sublime.” — Denver Post
“The end result is a novel as ambitious as it is complex: Askew deftly weaves multiple points of view into a narrative that’s spacious, messy and, above all, honest.” — Kansas City Star
“What might have been a political polemic or a partisan pitch in the hands of a lesser writer, Rilla Askew’s fourth novel....personalizes [immigration]...exploring with a deft hand and an unflinching moral vision the gray areas of an argument so often presented in black and white.” — New York Times Book Review
Kind of Kin is about how we are all connected and how we might transcend barriers of race and fear. Askew’s astonishing ending, which, like life, is messy and incomplete, and so filmic, you might find yourself casting the characters. — San Francisco Chronicle
“Intelligent and gripping...Askew’s strength as a novelist is just this; through an accretion of believable detail and judgment-free descriptions, she creates characters in whose fate you can’t help but become invested.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Askew deftly weaves these storylines together to create an engaging read.” — Tulsa World
“Written in the rawboned, heartfelt and often funny prose that has defined much of her [Askew’s] earlier acclaimed works on the Great Plains…Extraordinary novel.” — Huffington Post
“Kind of Kin does not disappoint. In fact, it is so good, so cogent and poignant and dead-on perspective, I would very much like to make it required reading for anyone who harbors strong opinions on immigration policy, on either side of the metaphorical border.” — Dallas News
“Kind of Kin is equally full of grace, humor and much love for Oklahoma and its people. A contemporary classic, this novel is an ideal choice for book clubs and anyone with a love of character-driven, lyrically written and issues-oriented fiction.” — Tulsa Book Review
“Askew has created a realistic and compassionate reflection of the people who populate our neighborhoods and our nation today.” — Seattle Times
Diane Welsh
I loved it!!! I stayed up until 4 in the morning … I couldn’t stop thinking about it. That is just one of the magical things about Rilla’s writing…A brilliant portrait of the world today. I just felt hopeful when I was finished.
Huffington Post
Written in the rawboned, heartfelt and often funny prose that has defined much of her [Askew’s] earlier acclaimed works on the Great Plains…Extraordinary novel.
Kansas City Star
The end result is a novel as ambitious as it is complex: Askew deftly weaves multiple points of view into a narrative that’s spacious, messy and, above all, honest.
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Intelligent and gripping...Askew’s strength as a novelist is just this; through an accretion of believable detail and judgment-free descriptions, she creates characters in whose fate you can’t help but become invested.
Jewish Book World
A brilliant evocation of Heraclitus’s axiom that character is fate-an ironic evocation she both confirms and turns on its head…Askew immerses us in the frightening dynamics of every situation while illustrating the focused moral prescience of a novelist of superb acumen.
New York Times Book Review
What might have been a political polemic or a partisan pitch in the hands of a lesser writer, Rilla Askew’s fourth novel....personalizes [immigration]...exploring with a deft hand and an unflinching moral vision the gray areas of an argument so often presented in black and white.
Jackie Blem
Askew writes a very compelling family drama that features a very hot subject these days-immigration, illegal and otherwise. Religion, civil rights, extended families, and the economic struggles of blue collar families all come into play in this multi-layered novel of life in Oklahoma.
Adriana Trigiani
Kind of Kin is a kind of miracle. The character Sweet is an American original, doing her best to hold the family she loves together while trying not to fall apart. A winner.
Ben Fountain
Wonderful . . . Askew’s unflinching portrait of a family whipsawed from within and without is a story for our time. It’s proof of Askew’s flat-out genius that Kind of Kin is merciless, yet strangely full of mercy.
Sheryl Cotleur
The nature of this wonderful novel is, like the characters, raucous, messy, uncertain and foolishly brave. Askew’s story is brilliant and a most timely look at who is welcome into our lives and how we express and share compassion even while times are tough and language is a barrier.
Paul Ingram
Kind of Kin is beautiful, funny, politically alive and savvy. Askew does character like no American writer and her nuanced vision of the relationship between the Big Picture and the lives of regular Americans is unrivaled.
Tulsa World
Askew deftly weaves these storylines together to create an engaging read.
World Literature Today
A brilliant evocation of Heraclitus’s axiom that character is fate-an ironic evocation she both confirms and turns on its head…Askew immerses us in the frightening dynamics of every situation while illustrating the focused moral prescience of a novelist of superb acumen.
Dallas News
Kind of Kin does not disappoint. In fact, it is so good, so cogent and poignant and dead-on perspective, I would very much like to make it required reading for anyone who harbors strong opinions on immigration policy, on either side of the metaphorical border.
Tulsa Book Review
Kind of Kin is equally full of grace, humor and much love for Oklahoma and its people. A contemporary classic, this novel is an ideal choice for book clubs and anyone with a love of character-driven, lyrically written and issues-oriented fiction.
Shelf Awareness
Vividly authentic . . . Askew has crafted an uncannily real cast of characters . . . A winner for book clubs...Askew’s sensitive and humanizing treatment of this hot-button issue is sure to provoke thought and discussion no matter what readers’ political leanings may be.
Seattle Times
Askew has created a realistic and compassionate reflection of the people who populate our neighborhoods and our nation today.
Denver Post
Askew’s novel delivers the unexpected. It has moments both funny and sublime.
Emily Russo
Passionate, solid, and fair. . . Askew’s characters, whose viewpoints are all over the political map, are well-imagined, thoughtful, and treated with a kindness that is often lacking in the ongoing discussion of this ‘hot button’ topic. It deserves great applause.
San Francisco Chronicle
Kind of Kin is about how we are all connected and how we might transcend barriers of race and fear. Askew’s astonishing ending, which, like life, is messy and incomplete, and so filmic, you might find yourself casting the characters.
Luis Alberto Urrea
Bracing, startling, snort-out-loud funny, heart-rending, Kind of Kin addresses family function and dysfunction, religion, immigration. [Rilla Askew] suggests a very subversive thought. Perhaps we are all a kind of kin. No matter your politics, you will not soon forget this generous work of art.
San Francisco Chronicle
Kind of Kin is about how we are all connected and how we might transcend barriers of race and fear. Askew’s astonishing ending, which, like life, is messy and incomplete, and so filmic, you might find yourself casting the characters.
Kansas City Star
The end result is a novel as ambitious as it is complex: Askew deftly weaves multiple points of view into a narrative that’s spacious, messy and, above all, honest.
Austin American-Statesman
"Askew’s characters are both larger than life and deeply, complicatedly human…Askew gallops her story to an astonishing ending, which, like life, is messy and incomplete, and so filmic, you might find yourself casting the characters."
New York Review of Books
"What might have been a political polemic or a partisan pitch in the hands of a lesser writer, Rilla Askew’s fourth novel....personalizes [immigration]...exploring with a deft hand and an unflinching moral vision the gray areas of an argument so often presented in black and white."
Library Journal
Askew's heroine already has enough on her hands when she learns that her devout father has been arrested for helping to shelter undocumented Mexican workers, a felony in Oklahoma. Pen/Faulkner Award and Dublin IMPAC Prize nominee Askew moves from the rigorous lyricism of works like Harpsong to a larger arena.
Kirkus Reviews
An Oklahoma-centric novel about the "crime" of harboring illegal Mexican workers. Georgia Ann "Sweet" Kirkendall is distressed--her father, Robert John Brown (emphasis on the second two names), has been arrested and charged for the felony crime of "transporting, harboring, concealing, and sheltering undocumented aliens in furtherance of their illegal presence in the state of Oklahoma," as the legalese goes. Brown doesn't deny the charge but rather embraces it, for he sees it as part of his Christian duty to help others. Sweet doesn't quite see it the same way as her father, however, and she has a number of other things to worry about, including her son, Carl Albert, and most especially her nephew, Dustin, who's only 10 but shows considerable empathy toward both his grandfather and the plight of the Mexican workers. In fact, he runs away, causing further worry and grief for his aunt. (His mother had died a few years before.) Brown's situation is exacerbated since it becomes something of a local cause célèbre when Sheriff Arvin Holloway begins to rail against "criminals" like Brown--Holloway has no sympathy for the justification of "doing one's Christian duty." State Representative Monica Moorehouse also wants to make political hay, for she's sponsoring a "get tough on illegal aliens" crime bill and fears her political ambitions might be hurt if sympathy builds for Brown. Askew deftly weaves all this together in a narrative that foregrounds a number of important contemporary issues: religion, immigration, the economy and the effect of all of these on family life.
