Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson [Book Review]

When Ebby’s wedding day ends in heartbreak, she uncovers family secrets and ancestral connections that change everything. Read my review of Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson.

Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson is the kind of book that sneaks up on you. What starts as a story about heartbreak quickly unravels into a multi-layered tale of family secrets, personal identity, and ancestral connections. From the first page, you’re pulled into Ebby’s world—a world that’s shattered when her fiancé vanishes on their wedding day, leaving her to pick up the pieces of a life already burdened with trauma. It’s raw, it’s gripping, and it’s beautifully crafted. Learn what the book is about and why I gave the book a four-star rating.

What is the book about?

When ten-year-old Ebby Freeman heard the gunshot, time stopped. And when she saw her brother, Baz, lying on the floor surrounded by the shattered pieces of a centuries-old jar, life as Ebby knew it shattered as well.

The crime was never solved—and because the Freemans were one of the only Black families in a particularly well-to-do enclave of New England—the case has had an enduring, voyeuristic pull for the public. The last thing the Freemans want is another media frenzy splashing their family across the papers, but when Ebby’s high profile romance falls apart without any explanation, that’s exactly what they get.

So Ebby flees to France, only for her past to follow her there. And as she tries to process what’s happened, she begins to think about the other loss her family suffered on that day eighteen years ago—the stoneware jar that had been in their family for generations, brought North by an enslaved ancestor. But little does she know that the handcrafted piece of pottery held more than just her family’s history—it might also hold the key to unlocking her own future. [Goodreads.com]

My thoughts

What happens when the life you built for yourself—flaws and all—crumbles instantly? That’s exactly where Ebby finds herself when her fiancé ghosts her on their wedding day. No call, no explanation, just… gone. As if that weren’t enough, Ebby’s past is already a minefield of trauma—she witnessed her brother’s murder as a child. Her family history is packed with the kind of secrets that don’t stay buried.

In search of an escape (and maybe some clarity), Ebby heads to France. Because if you’re going to have a full-blown existential crisis, you might as well do it with good wine and better scenery. But then, because life isn’t done throwing gut punches, she runs into her ex-fiancé… and his new girlfriend. Now, faced with the mess of her past and the chaos of her present, Ebby has to figure out what she actually wants for her future.

And then there’s Old Mo. A clay jar passed down through Ebby’s family for generations, carrying stories, memories, and a connection to her ancestors. As Ebby unpacks the meaning of the jar and its place in her history, she starts to understand her family in a new way.

Charmaine Wilkerson has this magical ability to write with such ease while weaving a deeply intricate, absorbing story. Good Dirt pulls you in fast, keeps you flipping pages, and makes you want to stay in Ebby’s world a little longer. It’s rich, emotional, and beautifully layered.

Should you read it?

Would I recommend it? Absolutely. It’s one of those books that settles into your bones—impossible to put down and even harder to forget.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced reader’s copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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