Until That Good Day is a stunning debut novel loosely based on the Marjorie Kemper's family history. Set in Louisiana in the 1930's, the story revolves around John Washington, a successful traveling salesman who "passes" in the white community. John's young daughter Vivien is a lulu of an unreliable narrator with charm to spare. Profoundly moving as well as comical and sweet, this is a haunting story with dynamite characters from a literary-prize-winning author.
"Marjorie Kemper's first book has more points of view than a prism, an agreeable old Williams/Capote/McCullers lilt to it, and an unassuming, strong declarative power that gives the reader a very good feeling. Magnolias and miscegenation -- it's a bit of a romp."
Padgett Powell, author of Edisto
"Until That Good Day gave me great pleasure. It was a story and a voice that I looked forward to six nights running. Marjorie Kemper writes such lively and witty prose that delight invites you in -- and then you are caught up by a story that runs deeper and more powerfully with every chapter. Marjorie Kemper has a sense of history, a sense of humor and a sense of life."
John Casey, author of Spartina
"[Kemper] dispatches good people and beloved animals alike without undue schmaltz, and her observations can be as vinegary as Carolina barbecue. She can sum up characters with one beautifully offhand sentence . . . . can plot, her characters are a delight, and her prose is as simple and plain as good homemade biscuits. And as any Southern cook can tell you, good biscuits aren't that easy to make."
