An exceptionally crafted novel that somehow hits heavy-hitting topics like immigration, assimilation, poverty, the delicate balance between spirituality and superstition, police brutality, drug use, and the ever-present worry about fitting in with heart, complexity, and depth. Our narrator Fabiola arrives in Detroit after her mother is detained on entry to the United States from Haiti. Her teenage cousins arrive at the airport to pick her up and bring her to her new home, which, to Fabiola, will always be empty without her mother, and so she resolves to do everything in her power to get her mother released. Even if that means she has to confront harsh truths about her aunt and cousins, who have been living in America for years now.

Though the narrative is mainly focalized through Fabiola, readers hear from other characters in italicized autobiographical vignettes between chapters. These departures from Fabiola's point of view help readers to piece together motivations and intentionality to come to greater understandings about the events that transpire in the novel.

Equal parts heart warming and wrenching, Ibi Zoboi's expertly woven novel will touch readers' souls and resolve their spirits.