Leave Your Mess at Home    by Tolani Akinola Order:  USA  Can Viking, 2026 (2026) Hardcover, e-Book      Reviewed by Barbara Lingens The Longes are perhaps the most interesting dysfunctional family I have ever encountered. A mother most exasperating and in at least one instance, profoundly wrong; a father chafing under the fact that he earns far less than his wife; Sola, the eldest of four children, with a terrible childhood secret; Ola, the only male, therefore perfect; Anjola and Karen, both desperately trying to find themselves. Sola has disassociated herself from the family for years, but when her life falls apart she moves back to Chicago, and slowly meets her siblings live again. Anjola has also returned to the city for her medical residency. Karen and Ola never left. Thanksgiving arrives and with it a tragedy that no one could have predicted. It is wonderful to follow how all these characters, who deep down really love each other, find their way back to being a family. Each one has his/her own difficulties to come to terms with. Each one is able to reach out to another member to find acceptance or at least some level of hope. A beautiful story of family. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews