Blue Hour

Book summary

Tiffany Clarke Harrison is an author and writing mentor. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Queens University of Charlotte. Her acclaimed debut novel, Blue Hour,was named one of Vulture's best books of 2023 and selected for Barack Obama's 2023 summer reading list.

The story follows an unnamed narrator who seeks therapy after the devastating loss of her baby due to a miscarriage. Through her reflections, we uncover her life’s complexities—her struggles with identity as a Black, Haitian, and Japanese woman, her fraught relationships with her estranged sister Viola and late younger sister Maya, and the guilt she carries from a tragic car accident that claimed her family. Living in New York with her husband, Asher, she works as a photographer and instructor, finding solace behind the lens. Despite her initial aversion to motherhood, she married Asher, a Jewish store owner, and pursued having a child, only to face repeated heartbreak. As she continues IVF treatments, unresolved trauma and fears of karmic retribution haunt her, leading her to hide a new pregnancy from Asher. Meanwhile, she secretly visits her injured student, Noah, and begins a documentary on families of Black youths killed by police, though guilt over a past affair with a friend’s husband lingers. Tensions with Asher escalate, and after a car accident reveals her pregnancy, she suffers another miscarriage at 18 weeks. Grief deepens the rift between them, and her depression worsens despite therapy and alternative remedies. She abandons her documentary and, in a rare outing, reconnects with Noah, sharing a bittersweet moment discussing the fleeting beauty of the “blue hour.” As her despair grows, Asher calls Viola to care for her, leaving the narrator to confront her pain and fractured relationships.

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