What We Lose Summary
Clemmons, Zinzi

What We Lose Overview

What We Lose is a novel by Zinzi Clemmons. With the aid of vignettes, documents, and photos, Zinzi Clemmons explores issues of skin color and malaise through the character of Thandi. Born to a light-skinned South African mother and an African-American father, Thandi deals with the consequences of living between two worlds, finding it difficult to connect with the world she inhabits. Raised in America, Thandi reckons with the country's insistence on specific racial distinctions. Thandi also struggles with the feeling of a shattered identity as she confronts mortality, motherhood, and marriage.