Somewhere Soft to Land — kai alonte

In this crackling portrayal of friendship in peril, a young woman's world is upended when a tragedy in her best friend's life forces them to test the boundaries of their sisterhood—a sharp and compelling debut novel from an award-winning author.Dzifa has always felt a bit off. Maybe it's the family baggage, or maybe it's just the way her brain is wired. She's never seemed to be able to do anything right in work, love, or life. She can't seem to pull herself out of her depression. Meanwhile, her best friend, Tatiana, had everything Dzifa never did: a supportive family, an unshakeable confidence, and the lucky fortune of things often going her way.Now, Dzifa has finally made a home for herself in Oakland. She has her own place, a stable job, new friends. She’s feeling stronger, better even, while trying on the Cali-lifestyle of farmers’ markets and new moon rituals. But when Tatiana tells her that her baby has passed cracks begin to form. Carried by the guilt of not being more present in Tatiana’s new journey of motherhood, Dzifa rushes to Boston to be there for her friend not knowing what to expect. From dealing with the baby’s father’s racist family to Tatiana’s overbearingly supportive one, Dzifa tries to guide Tatiana through the grief even as her own life she’s worked so hard to rebuild rapidly starts slipping away. And when Tatiana asks her for the ultimate favor, Dzifa must choose between standing by her friend or saving her own sanity as it all comes crashing downA riveting, vibrant, and deeply moving exploration of sisterhood, complicated family dynamics, and mental health, Somewhere Soft to Land reckons with the complicated and sometimes fraught friendship between women as they evolve and makings of a second chance at life.