Indigo Rose

Book excerpt: From author Susan Beth Miller comes a luminous debut novel in the tradition of Jamaica Kincaid. Emotionally gripping and exquisitely written, Indigo Rose tells the story of one woman’s extraordinary passage from sorrow to joy–and the uncommon journey that restores her spirit. When Indigo Rosemartin leaves behind her beloved only child, Louisa, and her homeland of Jamaica to earn a better wage in America, she has no idea just how final her good-bye will be. In Chicago she keeps house for Professor Silver, whose three daughters come to depend on her in the wake of their parents’ crumbling marriage. But when Indigo receives devastating news that is every mother’s worst nightmare, she finds herself without purpose in a wintry, unfamiliar world–her heart hardened even against the girls she has cared for second only to her own. Stricken, Indigo drifts through her days until she discovers Brother Man’s, a private gambling club run by a charismatic fellow Jamaican. In this smoky, lively place that recalls her island home, Indigo numbs her pain at the roulette table in the company of other lost souls. But as her hunger for diversion threatens to consume her life, she realizes that only by facing down her despair will she ever again feel love. With mesmerizing prose, an unforgettable heroine, and a vibrantly drawn cast of characters, this powerful tale offers a compelling window into the ways we make peace with the past–and how family, community, and love can open our hearts to the future.