RACINE by Alison Clarke

RACINE

by

Alison Clarke

            Racine, by Alison Clarke, is book two in Clarke’s young adult series, The Sisterhood Stories. Racine is a young woman of color who has always felt different, out of place. One place where she does not feel this way is in libraries, and as she tries to find her way, she spends a great deal of time in the Library of Congress. One day, while working in the library, Racine begins her journey, a journey through which she is to learn her story. Once she learns and understands her story, her history, she will be able to embrace her destiny.

            The book is divided into unnumbered chapters. Each of these chapters is a sort of vignette or story. And, each of these is well written. Clarke’s writing sort of feels like a drug – reading one of her chapters felt surreal, soothing, almost lyrical.

The difficulty that I encountered while reading Racine, however, is that I became lost. Although I enjoyed what I read within the chapter, there was no “road map.” I lost track of where the story had come from, why we were there, and where it was going. There are so many chapters, and I was not sure why I was reading each or how they fit together. Many dealt with different characters, and I could not keep track of who each was and how he/she fit within the “big picture”. I presume that the book tells Racine’s journey as she discovers all the different histories that make up her story, but I had lost this thread while reading.

            Clarke writes well, and I like the concept behind Racine. But, I feel like I missed the point – and, I acknowledge that this might be my shortcoming, not Clarke’s. Without the transitions, I lost the trail. Although Racine may tell the tale of Racine finding herself, during my reading of her journey, I lost Racine.