Kalayla: Unraveling Tangles by Jeannie Nicholas

Kalayla: Unraveling Tangles by Jeannie Nicholas

“Kalayla: Unraveling Tangles is a touching reminder that family isn’t always defined by blood, but by the people who stand by you in your darkest times.”

Through alternating perspectives in Kalayla: Unraveling Tangles, Jeannie Nicholas brings to life an engaging story that explores themes of family, love, loss, marital abuse, healing, and second chances. Set in Cambridge, Massachusetts, between the summer of 1999 and the spring of 2002, the novel follows the lives of three women from vastly different backgrounds: Kalayla, a feisty biracial twelve-year-old; Maureen, her hardworking Irish mother, and Lena, their elderly Italian landlady. 

A Girl on the Edge of Two Worlds

Kalayla LeeRoyce is a confident and outspoken young girl who isn’t afraid to speak her mind (sometimes to a fault). She curses frequently, is often rude to her mother, and carries a deep-seated anger that simmers beneath her tough exterior. Despite her harsh words towards her mother, Kalayla is fiercely protective of her and loves her unconditionally. She finds an unlikely friendship, unexpected confidant and guardian figure in Lena, a wealthy yet humble retiring CEO and landlady. As Kalayla navigates her adolescence, she must learn to embrace her biracial identity while unravelling the tangles surrounding the parental figures in her life.

Maureen O’Rourke LeeRoyce, Kalayla’s mother, is a struggling widow who juggles two jobs as a waitress and house cleaner to provide for her daughter. She is a talented painter whose artistic aspirations have taken a backseat to survival. Her strict Irish Catholic parents disowned her for marrying a Black man, and rather than explaining this painful truth to Kalayla, she told her daughter that her grandparents had passed away. Now that Kalayla is older, Maureen grapples with whether and how to reveal the truth to her.  She also questions her worth as a mother and fears the possibility of losing Kalayla to her late husband’s family. 

Lena Manero Barzzetti, the wise and resilient landlady, is a woman with her own share of heartbreak. Having lost two of her four sons in the Vietnam War and endured an abusive marriage, Lena is estranged from her remaining children and struggles with the weight of her past. When she notices that Kalayla is often left unsupervised while Maureen works, she takes it upon herself to watch over the girl, offering her odd jobs and feeding her regularly. Over time, Lena’s involvement in Kalayla’s life leads her to form a deep bond with Maureen as well. She becomes not only a surrogate grandmother to Kalayla but also a maternal figure to Maureen. 

The Power of Unlikely Bonds

Author Jeannie Nicholas weaves these three lives together and shows how their struggles and triumphs shape one another. The novel is rich with emotional depth and beautifully explores themes of family (both biological and chosen), racism, familial rejection, the impact of domestic abuse, and the challenges of single motherhood with nuance and compassion. Nicholas’ writing style is conversational, character-driven, and rich with personality as she skillfully weaves humour and wit into the dialogues and monologues. 

I loved how Nicholas effectively differentiates between the three characters by tailoring their voices to reflect their personalities and perspectives. For example, Lena, as an older and more experienced character, speaks in a measured, thoughtful manner, often using metaphors and reflective observations to analyse situations. Her humour is subtle, and she approaches conversations with patience and wisdom, especially when dealing with Kalayla. In contrast, Kalayla’s narrations are fast-paced, blunt, and emotionally charged, with short, snappy sentences that reflect her youthful impulsiveness. Her humour is sharper and more sarcastic, revealing her rebellious nature and resistance to authority. By adjusting tone, sentence structure, and word choice, Nicholas ensures that each character’s voice remains distinct and authentic.

A Story About What Family Really Means

In conclusion, Kalayla: Unraveling Tangles is a touching reminder that family isn’t always defined by blood, but by the people who stand by you in your darkest times. Nicholas delivers a powerful story filled with heartwarming moments, deep emotional connections, and characters that feel incredibly real. I highly recommend this novel if you enjoy stories about found connections, family, second chances, and the strength gained from human connections.