The House of Plain Truth

A lyrical, lush, evocative story about a fractured Jamaican family and the daughter determined to reclaim her home.

Middle-aged Pearline unexpectedly leaves Brooklyn to return to her childhood home in Jamaica, leaving behind her daughter and grandchildren; her father, Rupert, is dying. But Pearline isn't prepared for Rupert's puzzling deathbed wish that she find the siblings she hasn't seen in 60 years--or the family secrets that soon emerge.

Moving through time and place, from Cuba to Montego Bay and from Brooklyn to Havana, The House of Plain Truth delicately exposes one woman's reconciliation with what she knew and what she learns about her family of origin.

Inspired by the author's own family story, this exquisitely-told novel explores the divided loyalties within a family, the true meaning of home, and what one woman must sacrifice to get what she ultimately wants.

Donna Hemans is the award-winning author of River Woman and Tea by the Sea. Donna's short fiction and essays have appeared in Slice, Electric Literature, Ms. Magazine, The Rumpus, Crab Orchard Review, among others. She was the 2007-2008 Black Mountain Institute (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) International Women's Forum Fellow and twice served as the Lannan Visiting Creative Writer in Residence at Georgetown University. In addition, Donna has received grants from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Prince George's County Arts Council, as well as residential fellowships from Hedgebrook, Millay Colony for the Arts and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Donna received her undergraduate degree in English and Media Studies from Fordham University and an MFA from American University. She lives in Maryland, and is also the owner of DC Writers Room, a co-working studio for writers based in Washington, D.C.