FINDING HARMONY

In this stand-alone prequel to The King of Jam Sandwiches (2020), a 13-year-old foster-care veteran will do whatever it takes to make living with her troubled mom work for both of them—but as the costs mount, so do her doubts.

Nana, the last adult Harmony could depend on, died three years ago. Smart, observant Harmony, who presents white, knows how to put her naïve young social worker on the defensive and redirect her attention away from evidence of parental neglect. Still, Harmony doesn’t harbor unrealistic expectations—or hope—for her mother’s recovery from addiction. Understanding that rescue will be temporary, Harmony focuses her efforts on maintaining the status quo and family ties. While her mom works and parties, Harmony spends her nights alone. She gets a kind of security from pilfering small bills from her mom’s purse and hiding them in an old doll; other sources of security are Mr. Khaled, the elderly Syrian refugee who runs the convenience store opposite her apartment building, and Mr. James, her school principal, who takes her under his wing. Harmony finds friends to walk to school with, too. But as her mother sinks back into addiction, there’s no more money to squirrel away, and menacing drug dealers claim the funds Harmony’s saved for rent. Mr. Khaled, who knows that building a future requires the opportunity to dream and plan beyond one’s daily survival, gently tries to help Harmony face reality. This sobering work is a powerful and realistic portrait of a struggling child.

Resonant and haunting.