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A TIME MUST-READ BOOK OF 2025
A PRIMA BOOK OF THE YEAR
SHORTLISTED FOR THE GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS
LONGLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN FICTION

‘A beautifully imagined family saga’
NEW YORK TIMES

‘Chapters that push your tear ducts to the limits’
SCOTSMAN

‘A moving multigenerational tale’
WASHINGTON POST

‘Remarkable . . . Lingers long after the final page’
ABI DARE

‘A novelist to watch’
INDEPENDENT

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‘Forget the wedding. Forget the shooting’

The trouble is Ebby Freeman can never forget.
Not the ex-fiance who walked out on their wedding day.
Not the death of her brother when she was a kid.
Not the family whose expectations she must carry alone.

Ebby’s life and heartbreak have been so terribly public that now all she wants to do is hide. But fleeing her Connecticut home for France doesn’t stop her running into her ex and his new girlfriend.

Stuck with the last people she wants to see, Ebby faces a choice. Keep trying to forget the pain of the past, even though no one will let her…

Or find her own way of remembering?

Praise for Charmaine Wilkerson:

‘Completely blew me away’ Red

‘Unputdownable. Astonishing. Twists and turns so shocking they will leave your head spinning and your heart aching’ Grazia

‘Beautiful, deeply resonant . . . A story that is as meaningful as it is delicious’ Taylor Jenkins Reid

Publisher Review

A remarkable exploration of family bonds, grief, heartbreak, friendship, and the deep scars of slavery and racism… Wilkerson’s prose is succinct yet richly evocative, masterfully delving into the minds and motivations of her characters and delivering a narrative that lingers long after the final page… This novel solidifies Wilkerson’s place as one of the great multi-generational storytellers of our time. — Abi Dare, bestselling author of The Girl with the Louding Voice What a beautiful and masterfully crafted story. I’m in utter awe of Charmaine. I found Ebby’s story just heartbreaking, but ultimately it left me thinking deeply about the process of healing from unspeakable pain and building the muscle of resilience… Charmaine is the real deal – she has SUCH a talent for every aspect of storytelling. I fell in love with her characters; I was gripped by her plot; I adore her words. — Harriet Constable, author of The Instrumentalist A masterclass in storytelling, world-building and drawing characters who feel so real you can reach out to the page and feel them reaching back out toward you. Good Dirt is a searing portrait of grief, of death and life and the truth that one without the other does not exist, that to find new life does not always mean forgetting the past, but reshaping and rebuilding it and realising all the remarkable ways in which it can be reforged. Charmaine Wilkerson is a stunning writer, whose brilliance knows no adequate words, and whose characters will live long in my memory. — Ore Agbaje-Williams, author of The Three of Us A sensational intergenerational story about hidden heartbreak, hope, and the restorative power of embracing and sharing one’s ancestry. A story not only told incredibly well, but most importantly, a pleasure to read. — Jessica George, author of MAAME Good Dirt is a mystery that weaves together multi-generational strands of past and present trauma, from West Africa to Long Island Sound, from the 1800s to the present. Written in glittering and discerning prose, poignant yet hopeful, Good Dirt is a masterful character study exploring the stories we inherit and how the past informs the present. I loved it. Brava, Charmaine. — Nikki May, author of Wahala and This Motherless Land A writer of extraordinary gifts. She can capture the arc of a family story like none other. This kaleidoscopic novel of love, loss, and triumph will sit with you for a long time after you finish the last page — Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of Take My Hand Charmaine Wilkerson has a superb talent for showing how contemporary characters’ lives are entwined with the past, creating a story that is rich in compassion and hope – and utterly engrossing. — Jo Leevers, author of Tell Me How It Ends Good Dirt is one of the most moving, exquisitely written books I have read all year. It is a tale of resilience and hope, and Charmaine Wilkerson crafts characters to weep over and cheer for with a plot that consumes the reader and spans generations and continents. This book will be every reader’s highlight of 2025. — Ethan Joella, author of The Same Bright Stars Stunning. For readers of Brit Bennett and Celeste Ng, Charmaine Wilkerson’s powerful exploration of loss, enslavement, freedom, and the complexities of not only America’s history but America’s present is heartbreaking and tender and so wise. GOOD DIRT is exquisitely crafted with passages that are poignant, yet full of hope. I LOVED this story and the many characters that peopled it. Book clubs are going to go wild! — Charlene Carr, author of Hold My Girl and We Rip The World Apart A beautiful and intertwining novel that will capture your heart. With a family heirloom at the heart of the story, it has rich characters and a powerfully complex tale spanning through generations. — Sophia Spiers, author of The Family Home