Kin (from The Winner Of The Women's Prize)

A yearning for their missing mothers pulls Vernice and Annie apart. It will take a devastating tragedy to bring them back together.

• Number One on Obama''s Summer Reading List 2026

• A Most Anticipated Book for 2026 according to the New York Times, New Statesman, Guardian, Independent, Financial Times and USA Today
• Shortlisted for the 2026 Kirkus Prize
  

A yearning for their missing mothers pulls Vernice and Annie apart. It will take a devastating tragedy to bring them back together.

Vernice and Annie are ''cradle friends'', born days apart in Honeysuckle, Louisiana, both destined never to know their mothers. The girls are inseparable, bound by a friendship far deeper than sisterhood. But this is the American south in the 1950s. Black girls like Vernice and Annie have to fight for every opportunity they can, and neither one can build the future they hope for in Honeysuckle. 

Gradually, inevitably, the girls drift apart. Vernice pursues her education; Annie is lured by the promise of a heady first love affair and a growing obsession with finding her mother. But her search pulls her even further into a world of danger that soon leaves her oldest friend battling to save her. 

Tayari Jones returns with an exuberant, richly told story about mothers, daughters, and a lifelong friendship that is as dangerous as it is unbreakable.

''This is Tayari Jones''s very best work.'' ANN PATCHETT, author of Tom Lake

''Kin is a masterpiece of a novel.'' OPRAH WINFREY

''A future classic.'' ROISIN O''DONNELL, author of Nesting

''An exquisite gift.'' TIME MAGAZINE

''Tayari Jones’s storytelling washed over me like a trip back home… Kin is a masterpiece of a novel that will live with you long after you turn the last page.'' Oprah Winfrey

''Kin is the kind of all-encompassing reading experience I''m always hoping to find: smart and funny and deftly profound.'' Ann Patchett, author of Tom Lake

''A riveting and deeply moving portrait of indelible female friendship, found family and finding your way... This gorgeous novel already feels like a future classic.'' Roisín O''Donnell, author of Nesting 

''A triumphant return of one of the most important literary voices today. Vibrant, funny, moving and powerful, Kin is an unforgettable read.'' Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, best-selling author of The Mountains Sing

''Jones delivers a triumphant novel of two motherless girls from rural Honeysuckle, Louisiana, who follow very different paths into adulthood... Throughout, Jones tells her protagonists'' stories with grace, humor, and pathos. Kin is a tour de force.'' Publishers Weekly (starred review)

''Tayari Jones is back with her first novel since she won the Women''s Prize for An American Marriage. Kin (Oneworld) tells of a lifelong friendship set against the backdrop of the civil rights movement.'' Alice O''Keeffe, Bookseller Buyer''s Guide Fiction

''Affinity and affection are the touchstones of Jones''s warm, engaging fiction and they are on full display in this wonderful n