Possibly the year’s hottest debut novel, District Curves is a full-figured thriller. Author Brittany BoVine says, “I wrote the novel I thought was missing from the genre of thrillers that I love. Washington, DC is an incredibly diverse city. The local flavor of the city is almost always over-shadowed by geo-politics in media portrayal, but I’ve been in love with the city for a long time, so I embodied Washington’s big personality and power in a pluscious politician named Chidonna Shabazz.”
The story is about an up and coming African-American woman with her eye on the mayor’s job. One evening, some men slip a pill in her friend’s drink. It soon becomes clear that this was more than a lustful attack in the club. The attempted kidnappers track Chidonna and her friend home, and then pursue her on a gripping chase through one of the world’s most colorful cities.
“The theme of the novel is identity,” says Brittany BoVine. “Under the pressure of unseen forces with a malevolent agenda, the novel’s heroine must figure out who she is while also striving to discover the identity of the forces shaping her. You know, the District of Columbia, like all great American cities, is undergoing an identity crisis. Forces of technology, gentrification, and the unity of minority classes combine to change everything from the façade to how urban life is lived. The changes being enacted are terribly fascinating and a good backdrop for a psychological thriller with a unique cast of characters.”