These precocious literary fragments hint at the greatness the author might have achieved had she not died at 22
Among the raft of reissues from heritage imprints, this one stands out, partly because the author’s writing career lasted little more than six months before her death in a motorcycle accident in 1966 at the age of 22. Diane Oliver published four stories in her lifetime and two more posthumously; they are all included here along with eight stories previously unpublished.
Oliver’s subject is the black female experience in 1960s America, in the period when racial segregation was illegal but prejudices remained ingrained – but the tales succeed for their literary qualities, not their subject matter. The title story follows a family preparing for their son to be bussed to a newly integrated “white” school and their fears both from those attacking them (should they burn abusive letters, or keep them as evidence?) and those trying to help: cruising police cars intended to reassure them just make them more nervous.
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