COMPANY

In 13 stories centered on several generations of the Collinses and their friends and acquaintances, Sanders examines the complex dynamics of a large Black family.

Launching the collection is “The Good, Good Men,” which describes the efforts of Theo and Miles MacHale to protect their mother, Lee Collins, from what they perceive to be yet another in a series of freeloading men (a duty first imposed on them in childhood by their soon-to-be absent father). In “Rule Number One,” Bellamy Lamb recounts the life lessons imparted to her over the years by her dying mother, Suzette Collins, lessons ignored or forgotten or disparaged by Bellamy’s younger sister, Aubrey. Janet, a disappointed and sidelined mother-in-law (and a dean at the university where Cassandra Collins is the provost), mulls over her long-term friendship with “Stephanie fucking Simmons,” a woman who, despite a history of petty differences, provides moral support and comfort in “The Gatekeepers.” The Collins brood is depicted at the beginning of the book in a handwritten family tree, complete with corrections, that serves as a directory to the characters, some of whose given names mature into nicknames as they age. The stories take place over several recent generations and are, primarily, set in the Washington, D.C., region (with some of the younger set venturing to Brooklyn). The passage of time allows Sanders to show slow growth (sometimes of resentment) and the repetition of behavior across generations. Subtly crafted and sometimes ending equivocally, the stories gradually reveal motivations and perspectives that aren’t obvious at first. The difficult aspects of negotiating family relationships are gently examined but, more interestingly, respected in their recounting.

The complicated circuitry behind family alliances and breakdowns is artfully revealed.