What You Leave Behind

Reeling from the end of a disastrous marriage, the loss of her job, and the death of her mother, attorney Deena Woods returns to her hometown of Brunswick, GA, for a fresh start. When wandering on a nearby island, she encounters Holcomb Gardner, an older Black man who reacts dramatically to her accidental trespass. His later disappearance hurtles Deena headlong into the machinations of big business, land rights, fraud, and legal loopholes that have allowed the seizure of property held within families as far back as Reconstruction. Soon, she is embroiled in a property-development conspiracy and must struggle to keep her family and friends in their homes. Narrators Joniece Abbott-Pratt and Lynnette R. Freeman alternate reading chapters, with each offering equally superb performances. Freeman captures the Gullah Geechee speech of the local residents with a measured, mesmerizingly fluid performance. Meanwhile, Abbott-Pratt, who relays Deena’s part of the narrative, supplies evocative characterizations and employs subtle changes in pitch and tone so that listeners always know which characters are speaking.