Review: Debut novel ‘Perish’ handles trauma with grace, grit

“Perish” by LaToya Watkins When a family’s matriarch is on her deathbed, they all gather back to Jerusalem, Texas, the hometown where their unresolved trauma began crashing through the generations. In LaToya Watkins’ debut novel “Perish,” the family begins untangling the rotted, gnarled roots of their tree. The story starts decades earlier as a teenaged Helen Jean, in the midst of a botched abortion, hears the voice of God tell her, “Bear it or perish.” Helen Jean keeps her end of the deal, birthing a son she sees as a monster. Like Toni Morrison, Watkins handles her characters with deep respect and care, capturing voice down to minute details and trauma in its most distilled and digestible form without sacrificing impact.