Tiffany D. Jackson is a TV professional by day, novelist by night, awkward black girl 24/7. She received her bachelor of arts in film from Howard University and her master of arts in media studies from the New School. A Brooklyn native, she is a lover of naps, cookie dough, and beaches, currently residing in the borough she loves with her adorable Chihuahua, Oscar, most likely multitasking. You can find her online at www.writeinbk.com. You can find more of my reviews of TIME Top 100 YA Novels of All Time here.
Mary B. Addison killed a baby. Allegedly. She didn't say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: a white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it? There wasn't a point to setting the record straight before, but now she's got Ted—and their unborn child—to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary's fate now lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But does anyone know the real Mary?
Allegedly tells the story of a teenaged girl named Mary, who's been in "baby jail" and group homes after killing a three-month-old baby. Allegedly. The novel is very character driven, and Mary's voice is a huge element of that. Mary's voice reflects her background—she sounds childish sometimes, as a result of her being locked away from people and education, but she also sounds searingly intelligent, as if she knows something the reader can't. Jackson masterfully weaved together Mary's voice, drawing readers into her story, getting us invested in what's going to happen to Mary and her baby, Bean. I absolutely loved the ending, because it just goes to show how strong Jackson's writing is, being able to weave together this incredibly powerful and disturbing story. I'm going to be thinking about this one for days.
Jackson tells Mary's story by alternating between Mary's present-day narration, and documents back from her trial when she was nine years old. These documents include everything from transcripts of interviews with the police after she allegedly committed the crime, to psych evaluations done on Mary's state of mind, all the way to novels that were written about the crime and Alyssa's death. This blend of storytelling keeps readers on the edge of their seat about Mary's guilt. Her present-day narration and determined stance of her own innocence against scathing articles written by people who don't know her keep readers wondering about the truth, something Jackson does not give up easily. I found this way of telling the story to be both unique and effective.
While there is a lot of commentary on the social justice system and the downfalls of the group home system for minors, what I really found myself thinking of what how this was a story mostly about a woman and her daughter. This story revolves around female relationships—Mary with her group home roommate, Mary with the adults trying to get her out, but most of all, Mary with her two mother figures, Momma and Mrs. Richardson. The heart of the story is Mary's relationship with the women that play maternal roles, but whom she sees as having failed her. There's so much to think about here, and I don't want to spoil anything within this review, but I truly think Jackson does a spectacular job creating these relationships and developing their nuances, so that when you hit the end, everything is cast under suspicion. It's hard to tell who to trust, which relationships hinge on which details, and how everything is going to end for all these characters.
Jackson told a dark story within the pages of Allegedly, and I know I'll be thinking about the ending of this book for days and weeks to come. You can find Jackson online at www.writeinbk.com. You can find more of my reviews of TIME Top 100 YA Novels of All Time here.
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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