How author Talia Hibbert is creating inclusive realities for Black women in romance
Talia Hibbert is a Black woman author from the United Kingdom who writes romance novels involving marginalized identities. Specifically, Hibbert’s critically acclaimed, three-part Brown Sister Book Series follows three sisters, Chloe, Danika, and Eve Brown as they find love in unconventional places.
The first novel in the trilogy, “Get A Life, Chloe Brown,” published in 2019, is centered around a woman named Chloe Brown who is searching for some newfound adventure in her ever-predictable life. Chloe finds a man, or rather a man finds her, named Redford “Red” Morgan who joins her quest for exciting, new adventures. The two subsequently fall for each other as their journey together offers chances for personal healing and uncovers meaningful truths about themselves.
What is so great about Chloe Brown’s unconscious quest for love is how her intersecting identities of being Black, woman, and disabled do not hinder her romance to a struggle narrative. Instead, Chloe can find love in a way that is healthy and beneficial to her overall growth as a person.
Correspondingly, Denny S. Bryce writes in her NPR book review of “Get a Life, Chloe Brown” stating, “don't [read Get a Life thinking] the answer here is that love cures pain and trouble. No, it's more like the icing on the best cake you've ever wanted to devour.” Throughout Chloe's story, Hibbert emphasizes that Chloe’s most important journey is learning to love herself to then allow herself to love and be loved by Red. Their love story is an addition to how they learn to love and trust themselves first and foremost.
Similarly, Chloe’s sister, Danika “Dani” Brown, finds love in her own novel titled “Take a Hint, Dani Brown,” which was published in June of 2020. Dani Brown is a hyper-focused, sexually confident, romantically clumsy woman who has had a series of heartbreak and failed “situationships” that have left her pretty emotionally scarred.
However, Dani happens to find an unlikely hook up with a man who works in her building, Zafir Ansari, which eventually turns into a promising romance; therefore, requiring Dani to face her fears of heartbreak. Dani, like her sister, has intersecting marginalized identities. She is a Black, bisexual woman whose identity doesn’t require her to suffer for what she wants. Like Chloe, Dani learned to love Zafir in what was a healthy exploration of romance and vulnerability.
Overall, Hibbert does well not to portray love as the cure for trauma, grief, or personal insecurity. Rather, she illustrates that romantic love can be a great inclusion to a strong foundation of self-esteem and self-awareness. Historically, Black women aren’t often given that kind of positive representation surrounding our love lives.
For example, popular shows starring Black women and/or revolving around Black women’s lives like The Parkers, Moesha, Insecure, and Girlfriends often portray Black women struggling for love, consistently vying for men’s attention or approval, or having their external worlds revolving around men. Notably, I love and grew up watching all of the aforementioned shows, and these portrayals of Black women’s love lives aren’t necessarily incorrect. However, Talia Hibbert’s take on Black women’s relationships, particularly with men, serves to be a more refreshing take on Black women and romance.
Now, Talia Hibbert’s Brown Sister book series allowed me to reimagine a reality in which Black women can be loved completely and unconditionally. In her novels, Hibbert emphasizes that Black women don't need to struggle in romantic relationships nor do Black women have to settle for a partner. With her heroines, Talia Hibbert is subverting historical narratives that Black women, especially Black women with intersecting marginalized identities, cannot be loved without futile and unrelenting labor, without grief, or conditions.
The final book in The Brown Sister Series, “Act Your Age, Eve Brown” has an estimated release date of March 9, 2021.
Ebony Purks is a 22-year-old recent college graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in English. She is a freelance writer and blogger and runs a personal blog called Black Girl’s Digest where she writes analyses covering anything from pop culture to current events. Additionally, in her spare time Ebony enjoys binging her favorite shows on Netflix, watching YouTube, practicing yoga, and reading on occasion. Some of her favorite books include “Bad Feminist” by Roxanne Gay and “Letter to My Daughter” by Maya Angelou. Overall, Ebony is a passionate young writer who encourages self-expression, for herself and others, and is always eager to learn something new. You can find her on Instagram @ebpurks