Aislinn reviews ONE OF OUR KIND, by Nicola Yoon, Knopf, 2024, 272 pages.
In One of Our Kind, by Nicola Yoon, Jasmyn moves her family to a fictional Black utopia outside of Los Angeles, and slowly realizes that something is not quite right. She shakes off her instincts time and time again, talks herself out of her worry over and over, and the reader is left yelling at the pages for her to wake up before it’s too late.
There are some disturbing descriptions of violence in America, particularly violence towards Black Americans. As Jasmyn notes, it is important for us to bear witness to the pain along side her. Most of her alarm bells center around her new neighbors’ reactions to the horrifying story of an 8-year-old girl who was shot by a cop, but there is so much more going on in her neighborhood that is just the tiniest bit troubling. Each little thing is never quite disturbing enough to warrant her unease. It all builds so perfectly that the conclusion is obvious, but in the best way possible.
This book is both a gripping thriller with slow-burn suspense that keeps you looking over your shoulder, and an exploration of what it could mean to be Black in America. I personally had some trouble suspending disbelief in some places, but ultimately, it doesn’t take away from what the author is trying to accomplish.