Strung

by Kandice Hart

They were beautiful, a contrast of black and white without even aware of the differences that surrounded them. She was his anchor, his light at the tunnel, his Savior. He was her sun, the bright happiness that burst inside her, the lava that erupted from her volcano. So where did everything go wrong?


Keith's body was a map of constant white scars, ugly yellow bruises and raw, red fist prints. He was young and strong, but his father was a mean drunk, and years of jail stints had made him a vicious fighter. Over the months, she'd seen a pattern emerge in the cycle of abuse, and the timing of this latest beating left her shaking with anger.

"It's the scholarship. You've got the interview Saturday with the William Mead board. That's what set him off."

"Ohh, right. I forgot about that."

"Every time something important comes up, he finds a reason to fuck with you. Mid-term exams, the SATs, now the scholarship board. Why does he hate it so much when you do well?"

"Because 'school's for pussies,' and if I'm going to run off to college and be a faggot he won't have anybody saying I learned it at home. I can't take this shit anymore, Kendra. One of these days, I'm going to blow his fucking head off."

"Just hold on," she begged. "You're almost at the finish line. Two more months and we'll be traveling the world. And then we go to State in the fall. You'll never have to see him again."

Against his will, Keith was drawn into Kendra's story, a familiar fairy tale she recounted whenever things seemed too hard to take. A smile peeked out, despite his split lip. "Where are we going, again?"

Kendra warmed to her favorite topic. "First, we'll head out to California. We'll camp in Redwood National Forest and see those huge, tall trees, big enough to drive through. Then we'll drive down the coast and see the wild seals of Big Sur. And you'll love L.A. You haven't lived until you had Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles."

"Chicken and waffles? That sounds crazy," he laughed.

"Oh, my melanin-challenged friend, you just don't know; your mouth is about to experience a life-changing event."

150 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 9, 2018

Reviews

[Auhmanduh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ended

Good read, there was no added drama or fluff. At some points it was very direct lol no transitions but it was a decent read. Sadly, it just ends...

[Betty · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was so much here, that had so much potential, but it just did not flow so well. I really liked Keith and Kendra and their personality development started out so well, but this broke down when the narrative with the racial connotation was introduced. I think I can see where it was intended to go, but it just did not make the case. So much was introduced in this “Romance” novel. The parental abuse to Keith by his Dad and the brainwashing/mind control of Kendra by her Dad. Then the first introduction of the racial superiority narrative through Kendra and then through Keith when we saw him after he got out of prison. There was so much potential for a good discussion of the effects of verbal and physical abuse on the mentality and the lives of young adults, if there is no intervention for good. So much potential for a good discussion of the effect of the Black and White superiority teaching on racial and inter-personal relations. That did not happen, but this was a decent attempt. Kendra, the heroine, started out strong but by the end of the novel disappointment had somewhat warped her personality. She was part of a strong family network, so seemed well grounded and really able to be a support and a light for Keith during their time in High School. When she fell for Keith and they took the relationship to a different level sexually, things fell apart. Her Dad forced his Black Identity beliefs on her and made her feel cheap and dirty for loving a White male and allowing herself to become sexually involved. Because she was wounded and lost her grounding, she hurt Keith and he lost the only real love and grounding he had, besides what he could remember of his Mom. At this point, I was so sad and could almost feel the pull of the passion and anguish. You want to blame someone, but life is not kind, so you hope they recover. The next time we hear of Keith, he has killed his Dad and is sent to prison. We never what happens to either of them during this time, but we see encounters on the subway after his prison term ends. Keith sees her but she not him until one night when he is with two thugs. You will need to read to see how it went down, but when she recognizes him you see how weak she had become emotionally. It may just be me, but she did not seem to want to relate on any level beyond sexual lust. Her emotional wounds had pierced deep and she did not want to open herself to love and real commitment, even though they both felt they were soulmates and destined to be together. At the end, Keith seems to come closer to who he wants to be and is now the stronger of the two in the relationship. This one was a good read for me because it touched on some of the racial and social issues of today and it gave me a chance to think deep.

Side notes: This author did not really deal with on a moral level the fact that she had Keith kill two men. It brought resolution, but how do you rearrange the psyche so that you know that you are not just a murderer, but you did this to protect someone you love? Was it part of him expressing sorrow for what he did to Dad? What is with this need for everyone in the house and neighborhood to know they are having sex? Was it to show how it was mind-blowing or just because of youth? This novel had a lot of need for real editing. Too many grammatical and writing errors caused it to not flow well in some places. This is the main reason for low rating! You had to reread an entire scene in one place!

Overall, I did enjoy reading this one! I would love to see a sequel to know if they decided to remain committed at the one year end!

[Temesha Ragan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

I liked the story but the editing needs to be improved. A few pages repeAted missing words and such. While the background on the characters were well done it could have been better and certain parts could have been left out. I wish it was longer and would love an update on the characters. I was not pleased with the abrupt ending.

[Winnie Bassette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok...Wow!

Talk about finding love so over again with your one true love. Keith and Kendra make such a wonderful because this is what couples to through no matter the nationality or background. Great job Ms. Hart

[T.M. Pigatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

I have to say that this book was good. It shows what happens when you try to keep true love apart.

[Jenise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice plot

Pretty good plot but there were many grammatical errors. I would love to see what happens next and watch that story unfold.