Meeting of the Waters

Kim McLarin's debut novel, "Taming It Down, was called "pitch perfect" ("Publishers Weekly), "spirited" ("New York Times Book Review), and "engrossing" ("USA Today). Now McLarin has written a second provocative and emotionally complex novel that further explores the complexities of love and race.Porter Stockman, a determined white reporter, is covering the riots in the streets of South Central Los Angeles for the "Philadelphia Record on the day that four Los Angeles police officers are acquitted of assaulting Rodney King. Lenora Page, a black woman, risks her own safety to come to his aid when the hostile mob turns on Porter, holding off his assailants and guiding him off the block. When she disappears into the chaos, Porter fears he'll never see his heroine again. But weeks later their paths intersect once more in the "Record's newsroom. Lenora, a prominent reporter for the "Baltimore Sun, has been extended an offer from the Philadelphia paper, a position she chooses to accept -- to Porter's secret delight.For Porter it was love at first sight, or so he thinks. During the course of the next year, he fights to win the trust and love of a suspicious and deeply conflicted Lenora. Porter and Lee are both smart, skeptical journalists, both grown up and certain they know how much of a role race plays -- or does not play -- in their thoughts, feelings, and lives. But as they fall in love, they are forced to reexamine their assumptions about race: Lee must decide how much of her life she should dedicate to her people and how much she can save for herself, and Porter must decide whether his liberal political views and belief in equality really run deep in his heart. Ultimately,however, it is not societal disapproval or skepticism about Porter and Lee's relationship that threatens to keep them apart, but their own insecurities, assumptions, and deeply hidden -- but nevertheless powerful -- fears about their union.Crafted with elegance and power, "Meeting of the Waters is both a love story and a meditation on how the intricate mating dance between men and women is further complicated by the issue of race. Probing divided allegiances, split loyalties, and the pain of confronting one's own prejudice, this poignant novel presents an impassioned and bittersweet look at interracial love in America today.