Recognition

by Oscar H. Bennett

This fourth novel by O.H. Bennett represents a departure from his earlier work, characterized by rich depictions of African-American families rendered in quiet but powerfully charged prose. These qualities are present in Recognition, but with the addition of a twisting plot and thriller-like intensity.

Dana, a single-mother, is driving home one rainy evening when, as she passes a homeless panhandler, she recognizes the features of her long-absent husband. Warren Reynolds disappeared from Dana's life a decade earlier — his body mysteriously missing after a terrible auto accident from which a pregnant Dana was rescued. After glimpsing the man she believes might be her husband, Dana begins surreptitiously searching for him, and is plunged back into memories of the difficulties they were grappling with at the time of Warren's disappearance. She struggles with whether she can reveal her belief that her husband might be alive to her friends, her in-laws, and, most importantly, her son.

Masterful and psychologically penetrating, Recognition is a taut, engrossing work from a critically acclaimed author. Bennett, known for his terse style and vivid characters rooted in the mainstream of African-American experience, has put his rich, unique, and riveting storytelling talents on full display for all readers.

Genres: Mystery, Romance

208 pages, Paperback

First published December 10, 2013

Reviews

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recognition is a fast-paced, sexy mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end. The set-up is amazing: While driving, a young woman sees a homeless man who looks like her missing (and presumed dead) husband. Could it be him? Her journey to find out the truth if filled with humor, suspense, sadness and danger.

I don't want to reveal much more about the twisty plot. Rest assured that you will love this book!

[Fraye Nellums · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started reading this book, I was immediately hooked. The characters are real, dialogue believable and it keeps you guessing. I felt I was with Dana in the hunt for Reynolds. I read the book in one day, because I couldn't bare to wait and see what was going to happen next.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading "Recognition." The plot line is really intriguing... a woman who doesn't know if her husband is dead or alive for ten years, thinks that she spots him as a homeless person. This story is her quest to find out if it is him.

I enjoyed the story about Dana and her family. The characters could have been fleshed out more, but they were still interesting.

One thing I didn't like about the story, something that I though was a distraction, was the subplot with a stalker. The story about Dana looking for her husband was intriguing enough that the story of the stalker seems unnecessary.


***I received this book through GoodReads Member Giveaway. The opinion is solely my own."

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

a woman cheated on her husband, he apparently walked in while they were in the house. they got in a fight in the car and had a accident. the husband disappeared , they think he went into the river. she had a baby that was his and years later a panhandler was by her car at a red light, he looked just like her 'dead' husband

she looked all over for him, he said he was not her husband but she didnt believe him. she took him to his mothers house and the mom and sister thought he was too.

he saved her from a stalker who she hit in the head with a pipe

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oscar Bennett, the author of "Recognition," places his novel in my backyard of Manassas Virginia. I easily recognized many of the places in the book, such as the Manassas Museum and Serve. This story is an unusual mystery, since no one is murdered or kidnapped . The story is a family mystery, which kept me interested to the end. The author sets the main character in the world of the homeless, giving some insight into their difficult lives and thought process.

[Taysha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Feel free to take my review with a grain of salt. I did not make it past the 2nd chapter. The incredible amount of unnecessary detail in this book makes it hard to read through without skimming or falling asleep, and the narrator's harsh and unwarranted judgment of other characters and refusal to take responsibility for anything in her life turned me off right away.

[Marni · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A quick read, at only 200 pages. A page-turner -- I stayed up past my bedtime reading it. I'm surprised that the author is a man, since he has a good grasp of the woman's perspective of creepy encounters.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, quick, well written.