Daughter A Novel

This beautifully and sparely written tale explores the fragile complexity of the mother daughter bond and the heart-wrenching legacy of silence between generations. At nineteen, Aya is a Black undergraduate in Brooklyn with a promising future and a difficult relationship with her controlling, emotionally distant mother, Miriam. One winter night, Aya is shot on the street by a white police officer in a brutal case of mistaken identity. Holding vigil by her daughter's hospital bed, Miriam revisits the painful memories of her past: her lonely upbringing by strict, churchgoing parents; leaving them to live with Bird, a Vietnam Vet and janitor; finding herself pregnant and alone. As her old wounds reopen, Miriam finally lets herself feel the hurts, regrets, and losses she has locked away for so long. There is much to grieve but also much to gain as she confronts the difficulty of letting go and discovers the redemption of healing and hope. Searing, passionate, and intense, DAUGHTER traces an unforgettable journey of transformation from secrecy to openness, from the despair of isolation to the beauty of connection.

asha bandele, features editor and writer for Essence magazine, is the author of The Prisoner's Wife and a collection of poetry. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her daughter.