The Family Speaks (The Speaks Saga) by Kirk Ward Robinson is the culmination of a series where each previous installment focused on a single member of the Speaks family. This book is where their individual stories converge.
The opening scene captures Elaine Herman making an appointment for abortion following abandonment by her boyfriend, Landon. She can't face the prospect of raising the child alone, especially with a student loan and a car loan she is yet to pay. But while in the waiting room, she thinks of her aunt, Blaize, a woman who, through hardships both unmentioned and unimaginable, never let go and never surrendered. Elaine's internal monologue acknowledges that all of Blaize's children are alive because of her courage, even though they are now all over the map, physically and emotionally.
Tommy is carrying a lifelong wound. He has never known who his father is, and his insistence for details from his mother Blaize has only been driving him further away from her and from himself. Blaize is a protector who doesn't wait for the system or the police. When seeking justice for her family, she doesn't think about consequences. She just moves. Timewall, on the other hand, is a man who has spent his life running towards something he can't name. He doesn't know why he is in a hurry, even as he climbs Katahdin. All he feels is like he will lose something if he delays. Ridley, just like Tommy, has been looking for her father, but she has been surviving by telling herself that the past doesn't hurt as much as she remembers. Priscilla has been struggling to express emotions naturally, but she is now learning to "feel" and to connect with her family.
This book has a large cast. It also jumps between the past and the present as well as between different characters' perspectives. It deals with heavy themes including cancer, death, addiction, abuse, prison, and PTSD. However, thanks to its deliberate structure, the reader never gets lost. Each chapter focuses on a single character, which means the reader knows who they are reading about easily. It also uses a linear timeline which helps prevent confusion over when events are happening. Lastly, it makes sure that the characters have distinct voices which, even without the chapter labeling, enables the reader to easily tell who is speaking.
Readers who have invested in this family across multiple books are indeed offered what they have been waiting for. This is not a fairy-tale finish, but a raw and satisfying moment that honors every character's journey. Readers are also offered unmatched inspiration, especially by Blaize, to keep going even when the odds are against them. Her children also leave imprints in the reader's soul that will see them show up for the people they love even when it's hard, forgive even when it feels impossible, ask for help even when they have been taught to be strong, and keep believing that family is worth fighting for.
Quill says: This is not a story to read quickly because its large cast requires careful attention. Rushing through can rob its topics of their emotional weight, and can also deny the reader the reward that comes with the slow, deliberate absorbing of its themes. The Family Speaks (The Speaks Saga) can be read as a standalone, since it gives each character enough backstory to understand who they are and what they are carrying. This read is lengthy, but worth every page.
For more information about The Family Speaks (The Speaks Saga), please visit the author's website at: kirkwardrobinson.com/
