"From the first page, Winslow establishes an uncanny authority and profound tone that belie the book’s debut status. The precision and charm of his language lure us in and soothe us…He paints a community so tightknit and thorough it becomes easy to forget the people in it don’t exist… Much of the story is told through dialogue, rich and truthful conversations among characters reminiscent of those in August Wilson’s plays, expressing so much more than what is on the surface." - The New York Times Book Review
"Winslow’s quietly glorious novel is dedicated “To the reader,” and it engages on a level that’s appropriately intimate." - Boston Globe
"Winslow pens layers of complexity in a narrative that is surprising and irresistible at every turn... "In West Mills" is a refreshing and arresting book that shines a light on a woman who rebels against society's strict and unforgiving social norms, despite the costs." - The Atlanta Journal Constitution
"This novel will grab you first by the ears, and then by the hand, and then by the heart." - Rebecca Makkai, author of THE GREAT BELIEVERS
"In West Mills is remarkable in its ability to create a fully realized world, the kind that feels like you must have visited before, a place where you'd happily spend all your time.... Winslow's writing is full of compassion and wit and generosity; he skillfully weaves together a story of the power of love and friendship, and their ability to redeem even the most troubled souls. This is the kind of book that leaves you smiling, with faith in humanity, and in art's ability to be gracious and redemptive." - Nylon
"Azalea Centre – known to the residents of her African American community in rural North Carolina as Knot – is one of the most memorable characters to come along in recent fiction." - Newsday
"It's impossible not to fall in love with Azalea "Knot" Centre, the star of In West Mills…In West Mills follows Knot, Otis Lee, their families, friends, and neighbors, from 1941 to 1987, exploring the bonds of friendship, the weight of secrets, and all of the sacrifices we make in our attempts to live a self-determined life." - Buzzfeed
"Winslow's impressive debut novel introduces readers to both a flawed, fascinating character in fiction and a wonderful new voice in literature." - Real Simple, Best Books of 2019
"In West Mills offers a languid, hazy feeling, somewhat like walking barefoot down a dusty Carolina road on a summer’s day. It makes you want to linger." - The Philadelphia Tribune
"Winslow’s stellar debut follows the residents of a black neighborhood in a tiny North Carolina town over the course of several decades . . . Winslow has a finely tuned ear for the way the people of this small town talk, and his unpretentiously poetic prose goes down like a cool drink of water on a hot day." - Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"De'Shawn Charles Winslow has a rare and blessed gift for writing characters who live and breathe and struggle and love one another and attain, in their imperfect, human way, a miraculous grace. The scope of this slim novel astonishes me: it encompasses an entire world." - Garth Greenwell, author of WHAT BELONGS TO YOU
"This tender, exuberant, and impressively crafted debut novel spans decades of family upheaval and painful secrets in telling the story of a freethinking black woman in a tightly knit Carolina community. . . in the brave, hard-bitten, but deeply vulnerable Knot, Winslow has created a character as memorable and colorful as any created by Knot's favorite writer, Charles Dickens." - Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
"Reminiscent of August Wilson’s 10-play cycle marking each decade in 20th-century African-American history, In West Mills telescopes four decades into a densely packed drama. . . What distinguishes West Mill’s melodrama from episodic TV, however, is the real-life, unglamorous attitudes of ordinary people. . . . In West Mills exemplifies the timeless adage that it takes a village to raise one another. This is a historical fiction triumph." - BookPage, starred review
"Beginning in the 1940s and spanning 40 years, Winslow’s debut novel shares themes of acceptance and the importance of community through the eyes of a fierce, memorable anti-heroine . . . Winslow is a natural storyteller whose writing is like a mash-up of Zora Neale Hurston and Edward Kelsey Moore, and his characters spark to life, especially Knot, who Winslow magically makes both enraging and endearing. . . its humor and heart will win over many readers." - Booklist
"In West Mills by De'Shawn Charles Winslow is an enthralling debut from a masterful writer. Prepare to be captivated by the community of West Mills, with its deep secrets and even deeper friendships. I love this compassionate, profound book." - Helen Phillips, author of THE BEAUTIFUL BUREAUCRAT
"Reading In West Mills is like joining a new family, one you didn’t know you needed to be part of. De’Shawn Winslow’s stubborn, vivid characters will take over your imagination; you’ll worry about Knot’s drinking and Breezie’s wanting two of everything and the many women Otis Lee loves. And when you get to the end you’ll wonder how this short novel contains so many lives, so much wit and warmth. A stunning debut." - Margot Livesey, author of THE FLIGHT OF GEMMA HARDY
"In West Mills is full of vernacular riches. In it, De'Shawn Winslow and his characters show themselves to be masters of what Zora Neale Hurston referred to admiringly in African American expression as 'drama' and the 'will to adorn.' Readers won't be able to resist falling for the people who populate this striking debut novel, which is a treasure of humor, warmth, and wisdom." - Jamel Brinkley, author of A LUCKY MAN
"Winslow's impressive debut novel introduces readers to both a flawed, fascinating character in fiction and a wonderful new voice in literature." - Real Simple, Best Books of 2019
★ 2019-03-18
This tender, exuberant, and impressively crafted debut novel spans decades of family upheaval and painful secrets in telling the story of a freethinking black woman in a tightly knit Carolina community.
Someone as widely read and as fiercely committed to moonshine and serial relationships as Azalea "Knot" Centre would fit snugly within the sophisticated confines of a major metropolis, even in the early 1940s when this saga begins. But Knot lives and teaches school in the rural hamlet of West Mills, North Carolina, and is viewed by the locals as (at best) something of a crank, a solitary eccentric gruffly determined to live life her way. Knot is in her 20s when, the same month Pearl Harbor is attacked, she discovers she's pregnant by a man who's left town for the military. As determined as she is to go through this ordeal on her own, especially given her estrangement from her family, Knot is nonetheless besieged by the kindness of her neighbors two doors down, the aptly named Otis Lee Loving and his wife, Penelope (or "Pep," as he calls her), who agree to find a local couple to adopt the child. That's the kind of man Otis Lee is, somebody who arranges and fixes things for others, especially those he's closest to. And in Knot, Otis Lee finds a person who needs his help whether she admits it or not. They forge a lifelong platonic bond that can't be shaken even when Otis Lee has to do the same thing all over again when Knot has another baby by yet another man she's not marrying. Through Winslow's evocative writing and expansive storytelling, the layers of Otis Lee's past life, as troubled and heartbreaking as Knot's, peel away to reveal how hard it has been for him to remain steadfast and strong to those within and outside his immediate family. And in the brave, hard-bitten, but deeply vulnerable Knot, Winslow has created a character as memorable and colorful as any created by Knot's favorite writer, Charles Dickens. Through more than 40 years of ups and downs, Knot and Otis Lee's story makes you feel the enduring grace and potential redemption to be found in even the unlikeliest of extended families.
Winslow's heroine isn't easy to like. But over time, she reaches into your heart and touches it deeply. So does this book.
