Our Gen

A Novel

By: Diane McKinney-Whetstone

Narrated by: Janina Edwards

“Our Gen is warm and smart, accessible yet meaningful, a beach read with strong writing and emotional heft.”—BookPage

Residents of an active-living retirement community revert to lives of youthful indulgence, even as time-bomb secrets of their pasts tick toward explosion.

The Gen—short for Sexagenarian—is an upscale fifty-five-plus community located in the bucolic suburbs of Philadelphia. Main character Cynthia befriends the Gen’s two other Black residents, Bloc and Tish, as well as Lavia, who everyone assumes is from India. They regularly convene to smoke weed, line dance, and debate politics and philosophy as the wine goes down like silk. Their camaraderie is exhilarating.

But beneath the fun and froth, storms gather. With its walls of windows gushing light and air, the Gen becomes the catalyst for secrets to be exposed.

Shifting the narrative between the characters’ pasts and the present day, Diane McKinney-Whetstone deftly builds suspense as she captures with insight, poignancy, and humor, the scars, tenderness, and swagger of those not yet old, but no longer young, coming to the mean acceptance that life is finite after all, who knew.

Awesome book from beginning to end

Loved it from beginning to end. Dinah is a great story teller. Narration was amazing

We still got it! Awesome

Mystery and mayhem, fights and friendships, spies and sex, secrets and support, transitions and triumphs. The attention to the details of the era and location, Philly, was on point. Great story and well developed. For those who think that life after a certain age is dull you better ask somebody but better yet Read This Book!

DMW does it again!

Another great read/listen by Diana McKinney-Whetstone! Tumbling is by far one of favorite books, however, this one is good as well.

An easy book to listen to

All the characters were developed, although it's not a long book. I laughed at times and was pleasantly surprised by the plot twist.

Another Hit!

I met Diane McKinney-Whetstone a few years, she came to our book club meeting. She was a joy! I especially enjoyed with this book, how she wove Philly culture in the book, as she always does. I also enjoyed the intricacies of her character development and how the characters later intersect. Great read/listen for my fight.