This was such a charming story; and I learned something new.  The title, of course, indicates something of great import is to happen.  And that something is called a Homegoing. Since I am an older white woman, I have never had occasion to come across the ritual that is common to black families: a Homegoing.  It has elements of both a funeral and a wake but in this story it also has elements of the supernatural.

Phee St. Margaret is a child of the Reconstruction and pampered by a wealthy mother; expected only to marry well. Something that she is most definitely not interested in.  So when her Aunt Cleo, long estranged from Phee’s mother, dies in another town, Phee volunteers to be her Pomp.  This is a huge commitment; Phee has committed to creating a Pomp that will honor her Aunt but there are also connotations of society, as well.  In other words, Phee has to choose wisely how the Pomp will be constructed and presented or she runs the risk of offending both her Aunt’s spirit and all of society.  In addition, there is the threat of incarceration if she fails; it’s the law.

Phee is consumed with guilt that she allowed so many years to pass without reaching out to her beloved Aunt; and she is unconvinced that Aunt Cleo stole something from her mother.  The guilt drives her even when she feels inadequate to the task.

All the preparations and events within her aunt’s possibly haunted house cause her to doubt herself; until she finds her personal strength and then finds her aunt’s personal message telling of confidence in her.  But what she discovers as she prys into her aunt’s life will challenge all she believed about both her mother and father.  But that isn’t even the biggest revelation; what she learns about herself is an even bigger surprise.

The plot was well-constructed and Phee’s character was presented well.  There weren’t really any other characters of note.  The pace was good and I loved the style.  It’s not as if the reader can’t see from the very beginning that Phee will succeed; that’s a given.  But what kept me fascinated was the process and the oh-so-smooth insertion of supernatural events.  It was a gentle look into another world, another society; and I was mesmerized.  ~~  Catherine Book

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