Now Lila Knows

There is nothing like racial injustice in America to teach an outsider the differences between perception and reality. “Powerful in message . . . An engaging, warm-hearted, page-turner of a novel.” —New West Indian Guide For Lila Bonnard, the opportunity to take a position as a visiting professor in the US has come at precisely the right time. Still nursing the wounds of one failed relationship and facing uncertainty over her current boyfriend’s marriage proposal, spending a year at a small liberal arts college in a picturesque Vermont town offers her sanity a well-deserved rest. Within moments of her arrival, Lila is forced to face anti-immigrant mentalities and becomes a witness to the fatal police shooting of an unarmed Black man—a fellow professor at Mayfield who was giving CPR to a white woman. The three Black faculty members in the otherwise all-white, tight-lipped college expect Lila to testify in the case—but at what cost? Mistrust of outsiders, racial tensions, even outright condemnation of others who “don’t know their place” . . . all of it comes crashing down around her as she confronts the dangers of speaking out against the police. Now Lila Knows is a gripping story that explores our obligation to act when confronted with hatred and prejudice. A page-turner with universal resonance, this novel will leave readers rethinking the meaning of love, empathy, and even humanity.