The Final Revival of Opal & Nev

by Dannie Walton

Publisher: 37 Ink an imprint of Simon & Schuster
Ginasbookreport Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Literature / Fiction / Historical Fiction
Read This If You Love: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow / Razorblade Tears

“The backbone dropped out.”

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is a tour de force of a novel. This historical fiction book is told in the oral history style and details the series of events that brought together and ripped apart the rock duo of Opal Jewel and Neville Charles. As journalist S. Sunny Shelton conducts her research to write the novel, she discovers the ugly truth of racism, discrimination, lies, and gut-wrenching heinous behavior.

At its core, this book peels back the layers of what it means to be a black woman in the United States—even if you are a celebrity. Opal takes the brunt of the harsh criticisms regarding events, even though her actions were on the side of right and others were despicable. Opal is an absolute force and even against the darkest of topics, she is a character that you will laugh with, cry with, and cheer on. So many character’s voices jump off the pages and have well-developed voices and Opal leads the way. 

Because this is a book about a musical group and done in an interview style format, lots of people want to compare it to Daisy Jones & The Six. Don’t. They are two very different books and I loved them both, but it’s a mistake to group them together, IMHO.