I was immediately drawn into Family Spirit as a story that doesn’t just center on a family of women with psychic gifts but also explores what it means to carry both power and pain through generations. At its heart, this novel is about the Mace women, whose lineage is marked by a gift known as the “Knowing,” and how they each come to terms with what it means to carry a legacy that others either deny, reject, or betray.

I enjoyed how the narrative interweaves the voice of the novelist writing the story—Nona—whose presence reminds us that storytelling is never neutral. She begins the book uncertain of what form the narrative will take, unsure of the time period or direction, and yet she surrenders to the unfolding process the way all writers have to. That moment mirrored so much of what the Mace women themselves are going through: Ayana hesitating to claim her gifts out of fear of alienating her mother; Lil returning to a family she was exiled from, hoping to make amends; GG, the elder matriarch, grappling with whether forgiveness is even possible. Everyone is negotiating truth, love, and identity while trying to protect what remains of their shared lineage.

What moved me most was how the novel suggests that healing doesn’t happen outside of our histories, but through them. The characters aren't navigating their choices in spite of who they are or what they’ve endured. They’re making those choices because of what they've survived. There's grief and shame, yes—but also grace, ritual, and a deep sense that sometimes we don’t choose the story, it chooses us.

Family Spirit is a layered, intimate story about inheritance, estrangement, and the difficult work of reconciliation. It left me thinking about the stories we inherit, the ones we tell ourselves to survive, and the ones we must speak aloud to be free. 3.5 stars.