The House of Broken Bricks

Tess, a Londoner of Jamaican descent, and Richard, a white farmer from rural Somerset, are swept off their feet by their love for each other. Tess agrees to move to rural Somerset with Richard, even though she is a city girl and there are no other people of color in their small town. Soon after, they have fraternal twin boys. Max presents as white, while Sonny presents as Black, leading to struggle for the family, as outsiders refuse to believe the boys are brothers, much less twins, and Tess is sometimes forced to prove that she is Max’s mother. When the boys are 10, tragedy drives the family to despair. The battle to reinvent their family and rekindle the love that underlies their relationships eventually resolves, allowing them all to move on. Relayed in prose that is lyrical and evocative, Williams’s debut novel progresses from multiple viewpoints over the course of a year. Her characters struggle with death, racism, and the love that holds a family together. Ben Allen, Lee Braithwaite, and Jessica Hayles narrate hope and despair, confusion and clarity, secrecy and longing with skill.