If Beale Street Could Talk would tell a story something like this: Tish, nineteen years old, is in love with Fonny, a young Black sculptor. She is pregnant, and they are determined to get married. But Fonny, accused of raping a young Puerto Rican woman, is thrown in jail. The two families then set out on a quest to find evidence that will exonerate him. Meanwhile, Tish and Fonny can only wait, sustained by their love—a love that transcends despair, anger, and hatred. This charming novel, despite its violence that isn’t always restrained, has the bittersweet flavor of the blues so beloved by James Baldwin, who here proves himself equal to his prodigious talent.