An ambitious young single woman convinces a black billionaire to let her edit her own hip hop magazine but the married billionaire expects more than a business relationship. The billionaire hires an openly gay lawyer to run the business and the already intertwined relationships get even more tangled from there. That's the premise of the new E. Lynn Harris novel, A Love of My Own
Zola Norwood, editor in chief of Bling Bling magazine, is busy trying to make a name for her publication at the same time she's trying to manage two relationships, a gay male companion, and a couple of very different female friends. Raymond Tyler Jr., a favorite E. Lynn Harris character from previous books, returns as the CEO of Bling Bling, who has just moved to New York after a breakup with his boyfriend and is now struggling to maintain his celibacy in the face of temptation.
The novel takes us into a world where attractive, wealthy young African Americans have plenty of money, flawless taste, and fabulous jobs that enable them to attend the hottest parties and to summer in the Hamptons.
In a familiar structural device from Harris's previous works, Zola and Raymond take turns narrating the story chapter by chapter as the characters spend a year in New York City. The novel is divided into three books taken from three popular songs: "I Wish I Didn't Miss You" (Angie Stone), "Everything Must Change" (Oleta Adams) and "Ready for Love" (India.Arie). At 387 pages, A Love of My Own may be Harris's longest book ever.
Harris's greatest skill is as a gifted storyteller. The plot twists and turns and shakes and rattles like a wooden rollercoaster until it slows down and gently coasts into the landing ramp. It takes a lot of time to climb the first hill, but the force of the momentum that fol ...