Holler, Child

Praise

One of Bookish‘s “30 Summer Books to Have on Your Radar”

“Every story, every character, every line of LaToya Watkins’s Holler, Child is a revelation. But it’s the devastating voices of her characters that linger most. I got lost, in a good way, in these pages, in the complex, intimate worlds Watkins conjures so beautifully.  Alluring, intense, and utterly original, this collection is a treasure!”—Deesha Philyaw, author of the National Book Award finalist The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

“With her debut book Perish, LaToya Watkins proved herself to be a masterful novelist right out of the gate.  Now, with Holler, Child, Watkins shows herself to be a master of the short story as well. Each of these gorgeous, note-perfect stories packs the full-bodied punch of a novel, but with an economy and compression that are nothing short of miraculous.  How does she do it?  I don’t know, but what I do know is that I very much want her to keep doing it.”—Ben Fountain, author of National Book Award-finalist Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk

“Holler, Child is a triumph of storytelling. With compassion, urgency, and exhilarating craft, Watkins plunges headlong into the voices, hearts, and minds of these unforgettable characters. This collection is outstanding—fearless, timely, and beautifully layered.”—Kimberly King Parsons, author of National Book Award-nominated Black Light

“Holler, Child forced me to stop everything I was doing and surrender to its stories—richly turbulent with faith, violence, sorrow, reckoning, and exquisite tenderness. LaToya Watkins weaves together character and place with a poetry that evokes Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon. A heart-stopping collection.”—Cristina García, author of Dreaming in Cuban and the forthcoming Vanishing Maps

“LaToya Watkins is a singular and fearless storyteller. She writes masterfully about moments of terrible, impossible choice, when everything that makes life worth living is on the line. These are intimate, richly textured portraits of West Texas life, full of longing and tenderness, inevitably tethered to betrayal and heartache. Every story in Holler, Child will confront you—heart, mind, and soul—and hold you, in its deep beauty. You won’t be the same after reading this extraordinary book!”—Jean Chen Ho, author of Fiona and Jane