United States
![Natashia Deon - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B076VS26S9.jpg)
The Perishing
A Black immortal in 1930's Los Angeles must recover the memory of her past in order to discover who she truly is in this extraordinarily affecting novel for readers of N. K. Jemisin and Octavia E. Butler.Lou, a young Black woman, wakes up in an alley in 1930s Los Angeles with no memory of how she got there or where she's from. Taken in by a caring foster family, Lou dedicates herself to her education while trying to put her mysterious origins behind her. She'll go on to become the first Black female journalist at the Los Angeles Times, but Lou's extraordinary life is about to take an even more remarkable turn. When she befriends a firefighter at a downtown boxing gym, Lou is shocked to realize that though she has no memory of meeting him, she's been drawing his face for years.
Increasingly certain that their paths previously crossed--and beset by unexplainable flashes from different eras haunting her dreams--Lou begins to believe she may be an immortal sent here for a very important reason, one that only others like her can explain. Setting out to investigate the mystery of her existence, Lou must make sense of the jumble of lifetimes calling to her, just as new forces threaten the existence of those around her.
Immersed in the rich historical tapestry of Los Angeles--Prohibition, the creation of Route 66, and the collapse of the St. Francis Dam--The Perishing is a stunning examination of love and justice through the eyes of one miraculous woman whose fate seems linked to the city she comes to call home.
Increasingly certain that their paths previously crossed--and beset by unexplainable flashes from different eras haunting her dreams--Lou begins to believe she may be an immortal sent here for a very important reason, one that only others like her can explain. Setting out to investigate the mystery of her existence, Lou must make sense of the jumble of lifetimes calling to her, just as new forces threaten the existence of those around her.
Immersed in the rich historical tapestry of Los Angeles--Prohibition, the creation of Route 66, and the collapse of the St. Francis Dam--The Perishing is a stunning examination of love and justice through the eyes of one miraculous woman whose fate seems linked to the city she comes to call home.
Editorial Reviews
Nominee for the 2022 NAACP Image Award in Literature
Nominee for the 2022 Hurston/Wright Legacy Awards in Fiction
An Entropy Best Book of the Year
"A supple exploration of life in 1930s Los Angeles as well as a moving meditation on the Black American experience in the 20th century . . . Deón's prose is beautiful, and the voice animating The Perishing is heartfelt . . . A vibrant, immersive world that's worth spending time in, learning and remembering." -Amal El-Mohtar, The New York Times Book Review
"The Perishing is an odyssey through time, Los Angeles, and circuitous, lyrical storytelling . . . In Natashia Deón's historical-science-fiction tale, reincarnation is a whimsical Trojan horse, inside of which we see how Black people inherit their histories. Deón offers close-up peeks at the City of Angels's past life-Prohibition, early school integration, the St. Francis Dam collapse-while also imagining its future legacy. The writing is often spiky poetry; Deón's descriptions of Lou's surroundings, mirroring her amnesia, are filled with new wonder at an old world, destabilizing objects as ordinary as a pack of gum . . . In this myth-laden, cross-generational pilgrimage, Black lives move less like wind and more like water: shifting shape but retaining their essence as they cycle through and bear witness to an American city." -Nicole Acheampong, The Atlantic
"Pick this one up and I promise . . . you will not be able to put it down" -Shay Mitchell, Book of the Month
"Vivid and thrilling." -Annabel Gutterman, TIME
"The salient beauty of The Perishing is that [it] grapple[s] with what it is like to be inside bodies in extremis, on the edge of risk. Deón attend[s] to the body as a locus of power or its absence: how bodies relate to objects in space, how they feel, how they are given voice-or not-within a place." -Anita Fellicelli, Alta
"Is it sci-fi? Is it historical fiction? Mystery? Yes! And it's unique, wondrous and brilliant." -Karla Strand, Ms.
"The Perishing . . . plays like its own genre-lyrical strangeness." -Christopher Borelli, Chicago Tribune
"Natashia Deón's critically acclaimed debut novel,
Nominee for the 2022 Hurston/Wright Legacy Awards in Fiction
An Entropy Best Book of the Year
"A supple exploration of life in 1930s Los Angeles as well as a moving meditation on the Black American experience in the 20th century . . . Deón's prose is beautiful, and the voice animating The Perishing is heartfelt . . . A vibrant, immersive world that's worth spending time in, learning and remembering." -Amal El-Mohtar, The New York Times Book Review
"The Perishing is an odyssey through time, Los Angeles, and circuitous, lyrical storytelling . . . In Natashia Deón's historical-science-fiction tale, reincarnation is a whimsical Trojan horse, inside of which we see how Black people inherit their histories. Deón offers close-up peeks at the City of Angels's past life-Prohibition, early school integration, the St. Francis Dam collapse-while also imagining its future legacy. The writing is often spiky poetry; Deón's descriptions of Lou's surroundings, mirroring her amnesia, are filled with new wonder at an old world, destabilizing objects as ordinary as a pack of gum . . . In this myth-laden, cross-generational pilgrimage, Black lives move less like wind and more like water: shifting shape but retaining their essence as they cycle through and bear witness to an American city." -Nicole Acheampong, The Atlantic
"Pick this one up and I promise . . . you will not be able to put it down" -Shay Mitchell, Book of the Month
"Vivid and thrilling." -Annabel Gutterman, TIME
"The salient beauty of The Perishing is that [it] grapple[s] with what it is like to be inside bodies in extremis, on the edge of risk. Deón attend[s] to the body as a locus of power or its absence: how bodies relate to objects in space, how they feel, how they are given voice-or not-within a place." -Anita Fellicelli, Alta
"Is it sci-fi? Is it historical fiction? Mystery? Yes! And it's unique, wondrous and brilliant." -Karla Strand, Ms.
"The Perishing . . . plays like its own genre-lyrical strangeness." -Christopher Borelli, Chicago Tribune
"Natashia Deón's critically acclaimed debut novel,
Readers Top Reviews
Blujay1966Jason B.
This book jumps around from one time span to another. It's difficult to follow exactly what is going on at what point. Difficult to read for me.
Katherine Devine
Following up her bestselling novel, Grace, Natashia Deón has written another gorgeous book that is not to be missed. I read this in one breathless gulp and yet this story and these characters remain with me long after finishing. Sure to be on many favorites of 2021 lists!!!
Minnieme103
Heard about the book in a book club. Got it for my friends birthday and they loved it
Julie burns
Such a beautiful and haunting portrait of Los Angeles. For someone who has never been there(other than the airport) it feels as if you just stepped off a train to experience whatever is thrown your way. Natashia Deon writes so to the point, you feel everything. It's the past and the future even though it feels like right now. The audible version brings it all to life. Just brilliant and poignant.
Lisa DChristine
The story was hard to follow, or maybe I just got bored. About halfway through I wondered if I would even finish. Not bad, just not for me.
