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Who Asked You?

A Novel

Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
2 of 2 copies available

Family ties are tested and transformed in this novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back.

With her wise, wry, and poignant novels of families and friendships, Terry McMillan has touched millions of readers. Here, in her eighth novel, McMillan gives exuberant voice to characters who reveal how we live now—at least in a racially diverse Los Angeles neighborhood.

Kaleidoscopic, fast-paced, and filled with McMillan's inimitable humor, Who Asked You? opens as Trinetta leaves her two young sons with her mother, Betty Jean, and promptly disappears. BJ, a trademark McMillan heroine, already has her hands full dealing with her other adult children, two opinionated sisters, an ill husband, and her own postponed dreams—all while holding down a job as a hotel maid. Her son Dexter is about to be paroled from prison; Quentin, the family success, can't be bothered to lend a hand; and taking care of two lively grandsons is the last thing BJ thinks she needs. The drama unfolds through the perspectives of a rotating cast of pitch-perfect characters, each playing a part and full of surprises.

Who Asked You? casts an intimate look at the burdens and blessings of family and speaks to trusting your own judgment even when others don't agree. McMillan's signature voice and unforgettable characters bring universal issues to brilliant, vivid life.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 22, 2013
      Three generations take a long hard look at each other—and, finding lots not to like, try to outrun, ignore, or beat the demons pulling them together in this well-crafted story of acceptance, forgiveness, and hope. McMillan (Waiting to Exhale) deftly weaves her tale of a black Los Angeles family’s disharmony around the narratives of bickering sisters Betty Jean, Arlene, and Venetia as they watch their kids stumble into adulthood. BJ’s drug-addled daughter, Trinetta—who lost custody of her baby girl—dumps two sons on her; meanwhile BJ’s youngest son, Dexter, does prison time for a crime he won’t admit to, and her eldest, Quentin, searches for himself. Arlene, a single mom who has a master’s in psychology and harbors a painful secret, struggles with over-protecting her long-closeted gay son, Omar. And wealthy, God-fearing Venetia can’t see what’s plain to her spoiled kids and husband: that she’s been ignoring her own needs and her crumbling marriage. Trinetta’s strong-hearted kids lead the family back to each other—but McMillan’s story belongs to the middle-aged steel magnolias who value loyalty above all. “I have prayed for all of us to come to our senses even though I know it’s an ongoing process,” Venetia says. “We’re not getting any younger and family is family.” Agent: Molly Friedrich, Friedrich Agency.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      McMillan's vivid characters sparkle brightest on audio. BJ, who delivers room service in a hotel, has a husband suffering from Alzheimer's, a son in prison, a five-times married (all to white women) son, and custody of two grandsons whose mother died from a drug overdose. The narrators (including McMillan herself) expertly rotate chapters, each giving different--though consistent--voice to BJ and her wide circle. Snobbish Quentin is black in color only and hilarious in his white-sounding seriousness while Luther and Ricky are true-to-life kids who successfully navigate the "hood." Best, by far, is BJ herself, who sounds sublimely realistic, loving, and humane. Audio enables listeners to share the joys and sorrows of these engaging characters. S.G.B. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

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