Our Gen

McKinney-Whetstone (Lazaretto) spins a funny and unsettling story set in a retirement community outside Philadelphia, where four boomers, all people of color, forge strong bonds and address the horrors of their past lives. Bloc, a retired scientist, is the only Black man in the complex. The book begins with him entering a social held by the community, but unfortunately, Bloc is prematurely showing the effects of a male enhancement drug he took earlier, hoping he might consummate his burgeoning relationship with Tish, a gorgeous and wily Black woman. Their friend group also includes Lavia, a woman of color who keeps up an air of mystery about her origins. When Cynthia, another Black woman, arrives, a love triangle heats up involving her, Bloc, and Tish, until they realize how important it is to maintain their relationships in a majority-white space. Bloc shares how he was sexually assaulted as a child, and Tish how her father was found dead on the steps of a brothel. By the end, the author reveals how Cynthia’s history dovetails with Tish’s, and the secrets of Lavia’s past. The plot is rather convenient, and the repeated weed smoking and classic R&B references start to wear thin, though McKinney-Whetstone demonstrates a keen understanding of her characters. It makes for a refreshing view of a generation so often presented as white. Agent: Suzanne Gluck, WME. (July)