"It is not only the splendid writing . . .  that elevates this novel of Gen-X love, but also the maturity and insight she shows on each page . . . Turnipseed's narrative is powerful, vital and totally entertaining. A LOVE NOIRE is a thoroughly engaging, provocative literary debut." 
-- Black Issues Book Review

A LOVE NOIRE
by Erica Simone Turnipseed

When Noire, a hip, Afro-wearing Ph.D. student, walks into Brown Betty Books, her righteousness kicks into overdrive amid the self-identified "talented tenth" who wear their double degrees and five-hundred-dollar shoes like badges of honor. And then Innocent walks in, sits down beside her, and turns her on her head . . . but he's one of them.

Set in present-day New York City with jaunts to Africa, Europe, and the Caribbean, A LOVE NOIRE is the story of an unlikely couple that struggles to discover whether their passion will keep them together, or if their differences will tear them apart. Stripped to their barest selves, Innocent and Noire transcend all they've known to learn the redemptive power of love.

A daring exploration of color and class within the black community through a no-holds-barred portrait of a relationship, A LOVE NOIRE is a refreshing, richly entertaining look at love today.

"Witty, breezy, and sophisticated. Each character is fully developed and seems as if they've been plucked from our very own circle of friends and lovers. A gorgeous debut."  -- Yolanda Joe, The Hatwearer's Lesson

from Amistad