Reviewed by Lisa Patrick

In A Private Affair, Donna Hill demonstrates a shrewd insight into the male and female psyche. Abandoned by both parents before he reached adulthood, Quinn Parker is in turmoil after the violent death of his loving and supportive twin sister just when they might have had a chance to move out of their rough area of Harlem. Quinn soon meets a woman who might be his savior, Nikita Harrell.

Nikita is from Long Island and had lived a rather scripted upper middle class life until her impulsive decision to drop out of medical school and pursue a career in magazine publishing. Nikita is big on working with what she’s got to get to where she’s going, and Quinn senses it’s time for some changes. He has provided protection for local “businessmen” for several years, but has not developed the writing and musical talents he previously shared with his sister, Lacy. Quinn and Nikita meet and fall in love, adding considerably to each other’s lives. But will it last?

Despite the straightforward description on its back cover, A Private Affair is nicely multilayered. At first, it reads like a typical opposites-attract love story. But Donna Hill has excellent narrative timing and transforms the story at just the right moments. She also creates a powerful empathy for more than the two main characters, dividing the reader’s loyalties and thereby upping the emotional ante of the book’s ending. A Private Affair is well written, smart, and heart breaking. It’s definitely worth the read. M

December 1999