Southland (novel)
LC Class | PS3568.E7964 S67 2003 |
Southland is a 2003 novel by Nina Revoyr. It focuses on quest for the past and present of racial justice in Los Angeles.
The novel was an
Background
In an interview with
Plot
Southland is told in three perspectives and three decades.
In 1994, Jackie Ishida, a 25-year-old Japanese-American law school student, is mourning the recent loss of her grandfather, Frank Sakai, a Japanese-American World War II veteran who lived a philanthropic life and opened a grocery store in the
Reception
Southland received a starred review from Booklist, who Frank Sennett highlighted how Revoyr "effortlessly" moves between timelines and perspectives, as well as how she "peoples the landscape with compelling characters who are equally believable whether they're black, Japanese, male, female, gay, or straight. With prose that is beautiful, precise, but never pretentious, she brings to vivid life a painful, seldom-explored part of L.A.'s past that should not be forgotten".[2]
Kirkus Reviews called it "gripping" and noted that it had "some neat plot twists". However, they though it was "complicated by a byzantine narrative that shifts in time, trying to pack in too much".[3]
Publishers Weekly called Southland "compelling", noting that is "never lack[s] in detail and authentic atmosphere". They concluded by saying "the novel cements Revoyr's reputation as one of the freshest young chroniclers of life in L.A."[4]
Lisa Nussbaum, writing for Library Journal, said the "story line takes more twists and turns than a road full of hairpin curves", which results in "a meditation on race, cultural beliefs, opportunity, prejudice, and family obligation that drives home its messages by way of presenting and solving the murders". Nussbaum also noted that the "writing can be stilted" but that Revoyr "crafted a provocative, absorbing story with fully realized characters".[5]
Awards
Year | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2004 | Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Paperback Original | Finalist | [6] |
2004 | Ferro-Grumley Award | Winner | [7][8] |
2004 | Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction | Winner | [9] |
2004 | Stonewall Book Award | Honor | [10] |
References
- Lambda Literary. March 28, 2012. Archivedfrom the original on August 26, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ Sennett, Frank (April 1, 2003). "Southland". Booklist. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ "Southland". Kirkus Reviews. March 1, 2003. Archived from the original on September 20, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ "SOUTHLAND by Nina Revoyr". Publishers Weekly. April 28, 2003. Archived from the original on November 12, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ "Southland". Chicago Public Library. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ "Nina Revoyr". Stop, You're Killing Me!. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- The Publishing Triangle. Archivedfrom the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ "Librarian a Winner at Publishing Triangle's Gay Book Awards". Library Journal. May 13, 2004. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ "Awards, Awards, and More Awards at BEA". American Booksellers Association. June 9, 2004. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ "Southland | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. September 29, 2009. Retrieved December 16, 2023.