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This is a dual timeline offering depicting an affluent Black family scarred by an act of violence. When Ebby Freeman was 10 years old, she witnessed her older brother Baz being shot dead by robbers in a home invasion. Holding center stage in the book is an iconic stoneware jar revered and passed down through several generations. This jar was crafted by familial enslaved potters/artisans who inscribed it with a secret message of hope. Such pottery became quite valuable in the present day due to its historical significance.

The beginning chapters of the book immediately drew me in with a snappy array of interesting events that played on my emotions- and in some cases shocked me. I thought I was in for an absorbing ride with this book. But after such a promising start, the rest of the book lagged for me. It became a "dual timeline" book, and I didn't enjoy the historical passages that much, although they were important to explain the meaning and importance of the stoneware jar. The bulk of the book explored the PTSD this family struggled with losing a beloved son and brother from unknown assassins, feeling both love and guilt over the treasured stoneware jar that was involved in this crime, with Ebby navigating romantic life amidst all this strife. I hung on until its hopeful, meaningful ending, but it turned out to be just an average read for me.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.