The premise and bones of the book are intriguing. However, the execution fell short. Our book club had a lengthy discussion about the story, it's many twists and turns. Then, about the author's many forays into gender and African-American history. Topics that are interesting when written about properly and purposefully. However the tone was condescending and out of place in the story. Read this book if you are looking for a heated discussion with your book club.

The author, while adept as translating Southern speech patterns to print, fails with "They Tell Me Of A Home." His main character is whiny and condescending, and is focused solely on himself. The novel's synopsis states he goes home and finds his sister dead, and the book will be a story on finding out how she died. The characters in the small town are characters in any small Southern town, perfect stereotypes. T.L. goes from "Why does everything happen to me?" to "enlightening" the townspeople of black history, but even that is superficial.
I would not recommend this book unless you are interested in self absorbed characters.