The stories and memories of three generations of unconventional black women converge in this contemporary novel. Rickshaw Jones and her twin sister, Israellen, are raised in Minneapolis by their mother, Liberty Jones. Rickshaw is a gay musician, and Israellen works as a dancer and actress. Liberty's best friend, Emma Nevada, is an activist in the Civil Rights movement who influences them all. The novel begins with Israellen's death in a plane crash and then ranges freely back and forth from the 1960s through the present, depicting vignettes from the characters' lives. Perhaps Ohio's ( The Finer Grain , Naiad Pr., 1988) intention was to create a novel reminiscent of an improvisational piece of music, with riffs on a theme. However, the disjointedness of the vignettes and the lack of any chronology make it impossible to become involved in what could have been a compelling exploration.-- Janet Boyarin Blundell, MLS, Brookdale Community Coll., Lincroft, N.J.
