The novel centers on Jasmyn, a pregnant public defender, and her husband Kingston, a venture capitalist. They have chosen Liberty as their place of residence because they believe it is a safe haven for their future family and a base from which they can continue their work to advance the black community.
Jasmyn, with her tireless commitment to justice, and Kingston, who mentors disadvantaged youth, embody the ideals of activism and empowerment that many readers would expect in such a setting. Yet, as Yoon deftly unravels, Liberty is not the bastion of solidarity and progress that it seems to be.
Despite their shared identity and the community’s glossy facade, Liberty residents are disturbingly reluctant to take action. Their silence on the shooting of a four-year-old black girl by a white police officer speaks volumes and reflects a broader, more insidious refusal to confront the harsh reality of racial injustice.
This reticence, this willful ignorance, is both confusing and infuriating, especially for Jasmyn and her friends, who are increasingly isolated in their desire for change.
As the narrative progresses, Yoon expertly ratchets up the tension, slowly peeling back the layers of Liberty’s polished facade and revealing the sinister secret that lies beneath it. Jasmyn’s growing frustration turns to fear as she uncovers the truth – a truth that not only explains the community’s troubling apathy, but also threatens to consume her and her loved ones.
What sets One of us What sets Yoon apart is her deep compassion for her characters, even as she places them in situations that test their humanity. She doesn’t just build a world, she breathes life into it, making the stakes seem personal and the terror all too real.
More than a thriller, the novel explores what happens when our ideals collide with the dark undercurrents of history and human nature.
Yoon’s narrative style is striking, her prose lush yet precise, capturing both the beauty of Liberty’s physical environment and the creeping unease that underlies it.
The grand staircase and Roman columns of the Black History Museum in Liberty serve as powerful symbols – monuments to a past that is simultaneously celebrated and distorted in the service of maintaining the status quo.
In One of usNicola Yoon offers a powerful, nuanced critique of the contradictions that can exist in seemingly perfect communities. It’s a novel that resonates long after the last page, forcing readers to question the true price of comfort and the dangers of complacency.
For anyone who believes in the transformative power of fiction, One of us must not be missed.
Ahmad Nazir is a freelance writer based in the United Arab Emirates and holds a degree in education from the Université de Montpellier in the south of France.
