Recognition
By (Author) O. H. Bennett
Agate Publishing
Agate Publishing
15th July 2014
United States
General
Fiction
FIC
208
Width 153mm, Height 229mm
298g
This fourth novel by O.H. Bennett represents a departure from his earlier work, characterized by rich depictions of African-American families rendered in quiet but powerfully charged prose. These qualities are present in Recognition, but with the addition of a twisting plot and thriller-like intensity.
Dana, a single-mother, is driving home one rainy evening when, as she passes a homeless panhandler, she recognizes the features of her long-absent husband. Warren Reynolds disappeared from Dana's life a decade earlier - his body mysteriously missing after a terrible auto accident from which a pregnant Dana was rescued. After glimpsing the man she believes might be her husband, Dana begins surreptitiously searching for him, and is plunged back into memories of the difficulties they were grappling with at the time of Warren's disappearance. She struggles with whether she can reveal her belief that her husband might be alive to her friends, her in-laws, and, most importantly, her son.
Masterful and psychologically penetrating, Recognition is a taut, engrossing work from a critically acclaimed author. Bennett, known for his terse style and vivid characters rooted in the mainstream of African-American experience, has put his rich, unique, and riveting storytelling talents on full display for all readers.
Advance Praise for RECOGNITION: "This engaging literary thriller from Bennett...ratchets up the tension, and delivers satisfying revelations at the climax, revealing a humane and intriguing story of personal redemption." --Publishers Weekly "The book explores a number of themes in 200 short pages: homelessness, loneliness and, above all, the unreliability of both eyewitness recognition and long-term memory -- as Bennett puts it, 'how difficult it was to hold images in your head that time had decided you no longer needed.'...There's a good deal of suspense and some nice twisty writing." --Kevin Allman, Washington Post "An absolutely golden ending...a novel you'll want to spend one more day with." --Terri Schlichenmeyer, "The Bookworm Sez" syndicated column Praise for O.H. Bennett's previous works: "[The Colored Garden] shows how the hidden history of a family, once unearthed, can forever change a person's view of himself and his relatives." --New York Times Book Review "Beautiful and real; impossible to put down until the final page." --Booklist "In [Creatures Here Below], Bennett brings an African-American community to vivid life with strong and compelling characters and narrative themes to match--growing up, the struggles of parenthood and young adulthood, the responsibilities we all have to each other as people... Bennett handles the multiple plot lines with grace and skill, and readers will appreciate the subtle growth of the characters, as well as the diverse array of experience." --Publishers Weekly "...a moving and poignant coming of age novel, very much recommended." --Midwest Book Review "Grab this book, and if you're willing to be patient for a few pages, you'll be rewarded by a bold story. In the end, Creatures Here Below is a novel you'll be talking about." --Terri Schlichenmeyer, Philadelphia Tribune Praise for The Colored Garden: "Beautiful and real; impossible to put down until the final page." -- Booklist
O. H. Bennett is the author of three previous novels, Creatures Here Below, The Colored Garden, and The Lie. He lives in Northern Virginia.