Hill proves she certainly can with "If I could"

By Caitlin Friedemann

For the Daily

"For once I'm doing what I need to do for me. But I don't think that either of you will ever have what it takes to do the same." Regina Everette proclaims this to her two closest friends after making the life-altering decisions to divorce her husband, quit her job as an award-winning newspaper reporter and pursue her dream of owning her own book shop. Her two friends, Toni Devon and Vicky Hunter, are at first shocked and appalled that the previously submissive and docile Regina would dare to say this. Nevertheless, her words carry a degree of truth and both feel the sting of it. The novel "If I Could" by best-selling author Donna Hill describes the journeys of the three women as they struggle to find themselves and their places in the world.

Donna Hill, an award-winning author who has been featured in Essence, Today's Black Woman, Black Enterprise, The Daily News, and USA Today, has also had works appear on the Blackboard, Emerge and Ingram Books bestseller lists. "If I Could" is the type of well-written and complex work that one would expect from such an accomplished author.

The book begins with Regina emotionally and spiritually unhappy and unfulfilled from her domineering husband. Accustomed to suppressing all flickers of independence because of her mother, her Catholic schooling and now her husband, she appears to be one to strike out on her own. However, Hill gives an insightful look into her mind, and it is not surprising when the spark of rebellion that has always been there finally catches and grows into a fire that fuels Regina to change her entire life.

What makes this book interesting is that Hill not only focuses on Regina's catharsis, she also illustrates the substantial effects it has on everyone else in her life, most significantly her two best friends. Toni, a social worker, tries to mold her life and the rest of the world into her image of perfection. Her refusal to let anyone else take control eventually leaves her out of touch with her husband and troubled teenage son, lonely, and seeking comfort in the arms of another man. Vicky also strives for flawlessness in appearance. She has always been ashamed of her extremely dark skin color and is constantly aware of the obstacles she faces because of it. Too focused on beating the odds with a successful career and a white husband, she won't allow herself to love. Regina's outburst sparks changes in both of them that help them to confront and begin to conquer their problems.

Hill develops these separate plots by jumping between the lives and minds of the three women. Her tone of an omnipotent, somewhat sympathetic observer and her depictions of the thoughts and emotions of each character force the reader to identify with all when they interact. This style allows one to simultaneously experience Regina's growing optimism, Toni's loneliness and Vicky's inner hurt, creating a strong understanding and empathy with the characters that make the book hard to put down.

The realistic complexity of the characters also compels one to relate to them. Hill skillfully links the past of each to their current fears and aspirations. Toni's motivation to provide everything for everyone stems from her fear her childhood existence in a poverty-stricken, fatalistic family. Vicky constantly fights her inner insecurity from childhood teasing and adulthood prejudice by achieving things no one ever thought she could. Regina battles to overcome years of being told that she cannot do anything on her own. The way the characters behave agrees with what the reader believes they will do from their personalities.

Although this makes them believable, it makes the novel sometimes a little predictable. One knows so much about the women that it isn't hard to guess what they will do next. This restricts the levels that the book can go to, which makes the entire story seem simplistic at some points. However, the depth to which she exposes her characters makes up for this lack of variation in the plot.

The individuals make the book hard to put down, but the overall themes of independence and hope stay with the reader long after the details of personal lives are forgotten. Regina, a divorced African-American woman with two children, still manages to find herself and happiness after age 40. Although her friends' lives are not perfect at the end of the novel, one still has hope and a feeling that everything will work out for them. Because it fades out with this sense of happiness, "If I Could" leaves the reader fulfilled. Vicky constantly fights her inner insecurity from childhood teasing and adulthood prejudice by achieving things no one ever thought she could. Regina battles to overcome years of being told that she cannot do anything on her own. The way the characters behave agrees with what the reader believes they will do from their personalities.

Although this makes them believable, it makes the novel sometimes a little predictable. One knows so much about the women that it isn't hard to guess what they will do next.

This restricts the levels that the book can go to, which makes the entire story seem simplistic at some points. However, the depth to which she exposes her characters makes up for this lack of variation in the plot.

The individuals make the book hard to put down, but the overall themes of independence and hope stay with the reader long after the details of personal lives are forgotten.

Regina, a divorced African-American woman with two children, still manages to find herself and happiness after age 40.

Although her friends' lives are not perfect at the end of the novel, one still has hope and a feeling that everything will work out for them. Because it fades out with this sense of happiness, "If I Could" leaves the reader fulfilled.