Plot+Summary


 * Plot!!! ** This novel basically goes through two main peoples lives and their hardships dealing with emotions and a secret that they know they should not have.The story starts when the two main characters, Iris Courtney and Jinx Fairchild, are bonded by a murder, which Jinx accidentally commits when protecting Iris from the threat of an obnoxious boy-Little Red Garlock. This atrocious act joins Iris and Jinx forever, but society prevents any true exploration of their friendship and bond. Iris is the only child of Duke and Persia Courtney, a couple who seems perfect from the outside but is totally screwed up inside. Iris spends her childhood wishing that her parents would grow up instead of gambling, drinking, and being entertained, and ends up raising herself for the most part. Her family is constantly moving because of Duke’s gambling problems and finally Persia cannot take it any longer and ends her relationship with him, falling into deep alcoholism because she cannot get over her husband. She dies in her mid forties because she refuses to get help for her addiction, no matter how many times Iris attempts to help her. Because Iris basically raises herself, she learns to rely only on herself and it instills in Iris a strong sense of independence and emotional distance. The only constant part of Iris’ life is her relationship with her  Uncle Leslie, Duke Courtney’s brother. Although he is Duke’s brother, Leslie is the exact opposite and hates his brother’s treatment of Persia and Iris. He is secretly in love with Persia and even though she does not love him back, he still helps her in any way possible. When Persia is dying he helps Iris pay for the hospital bills while Duke just runs away.Even though Iris and Jinx are different races and Iris has been taught to stay away from black boys, she is still very attracted to Jinx, both as a friend and more. In High school Jinx is a basketball star and has high hopes for a future, until he breaks his ankle. After this he is forced to work at low-paying jobs, marry into a crap marriage, have children, and eventually go to Vietnam in hope of a better future. Iris leaves her home town to attend college in Syracuse, New York, where she becomes good friends with a professor and his Wife-Mr. and Mrs. Savage. They introduce her to the higher class way of life and she eventually marries their son, choosing a life of security and wealth. She never tells them the whole truth about her past, feeling that it d oesn’t have a part in her life or her position in society. Although Iris achieves what she has been working for her whole life, she continues to question her sense of belonging. Both Jinx and Iris spend their life wondering how things may have been different if they had gotte n together or if they had never had that  terrible secret between them, and even though their lives moved on, both kept going back to those thoughts and questions.