 December 2002
True Lies
by Margaret Johnson-Hodge
We see it all too many times where one settles for a situation or a stays in a relationship that has no future for the sake of a child. It’s situations like this that paints a poor portrait in accepting less than sterling options that are not in our best interest, which would allow one to deceive good intent hoping for things to turn for the better. This indeed is the true essence of misguided trust and a good lie. The preamble here best describes author and storyteller extraordinaire, Margaret Johnson-Hodge (Some Sunday, Butterscotch Blues) back with yet another excellent read. This is Baby Mama Drama at its best, where a good storyline and an even better plot makes for an exciting book.
This is also the story of Dajah Moore and Rick Trimmons two people attracted to each other but with enough baggage to undermine whether being goal oriented (Rick) and disillusioned (Dajah) is enough to hang in there despite Rick’s inability to shake an undesirable. The undesirable is live-in girlfriend Gina and her daughter Kanisha of whom Rick is the father. Without giving too much of the story away, Gina and Rick is on the outs but Gina knowing that the child she has with Rick is her trump card to stick and stay. Rick on the other hand, is trapped in a relationship where he feels duty to Kanisha is the better part of valor by devising a plan to keep his family intact but somehow not being able to ignore the siren Dajah’s call.
This truly is a good compelling human-interest story that all of us can have feelings for. Whenever an author injects this type of character study to illustrate a point and tell a good story to boot, she/her is writing from a deeper perspective for realistic effect. It shows the impact of life altering decisions that has bearing on other people’s world in a familial setting. When poor and/or selfish judgment is used, more often than not you make for a situation that hinders more than helps. When you began to believe the lies that are told to yourself to justify uneven means you dilute the solution and work from half-strengths. This is the dilemma that plagues all of the characters in this book, save for Kanisha…who unwittingly is a pawn. There are no clear winners when no stand is made for the betterment of a child in limbo.
I loved this book! And would recommend it to anyone who wants a real human-interest story that has layered characters so well drawn in how the author depicts each flaw and attribute to coincide with moving dialogue. I was mesmerized by how she made me understand each characters motivational bent and why they made the decisions they made. This is a highly recommended novel that will have you giving it to others to read!
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