A sweeping, unforgettable debut novel that traces remarkable parallel voyages of self-discovery, Blackgammon reveals the intertwined lives of two African-American women--soul sisters whose vow to stay true to one another will carry them through love, loss, and triumph on the way to finding out who they really are . . . and who they were meant to be. After twenty-five years of self-imposed exile in Paris, legendary African American artist Chloe Emmanuel faces a daunting prospect: the chance of a triumphant return to the United States. She came to the City of Light in search of freedom . . . the freedom to paint, freedom from a love that nearly destroyed her, freedom from the racial strife in the country she once called home. Swept into the seductive world of high fashion and art gallery intrigues, Chloe finds that Paris posed its own set of challenges--the pressures of living up to her acclaimed reputation, the difficulty of expressing her feelings without a brush, the vow always to remain strong and directed, and the hope of never again allowing a man to turn her away from her dreams. While Chloe reflects on her life, her relationships, and the meaning of her art, she begins to wonder: Is her artistic success linked to her "inability to love," as an enigmatic lover once suggested? If that is true, Chloe must somehow help her younger "sister" and closest friend, Michael Davies Northcross, who is confronting a devastating personal crisis of her own. A distinguished African-American professor in England, married to a brilliant British scholar, Michael has modeled her life on the lies that Chloe has lived. When a visiting professor challenges not only her marriage but her reasons for staying devoted to a white man, Michael must sort through the half-truths and deceptions-- and find her way back to that fragile place where real love exists. Unwilling to sacrifice the dreams they dared to make real, Chloe and Michael are forced to the limits of their strength and independence. They must gamble everything to recapture what they have lost . . . in a dazzling game called Blackgammon. Chloe and Michael, two ambitious black women, alternately recount their lifelong friendship and journeys of self-discovery in this debut novel. They met when Chloe was rebounding from a failed marriage and divorce and Michael was just embarking on womanhood. They vow never to let men interfere with their ambitions as Chloe sets off for Paris to pursue a career as an artist. Years later, with Chloe's support, Michael pursues a career as a writer and scholar in England. Success and a coterie of friends don't help Chloe overcome a childhood trauma that has left her unable to trust men. Michael's distrust of her husband, a white professor, nearly destroys her marriage. Both women cope with the racial politics of American blacks in Europe, troubled relationships, and career challenges as they maintain their friendship. As in most relationship stories, the protagonists are faced with dilemmas, of a sort--has Chloe's bitterness caused her to ruin Michael's chances for true love; and must Michael reconsider her goal to pattern her life after her role model? Vanessa Bush Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved unforgettable debut novel that traces remarkable parallel voyages of self-discovery, Blackgammon reveals the intertwined lives of two African-American women--soul sisters whose vow to stay true to one another will carry them through love, loss, and triumph on the way to finding out who they really are . . . and who they were meant to be. After twenty-five years of self-imposed exile in Paris, legendary African American artist Chloe Emmanuel faces a daunting prospect: the chance of a triumphant return to the United States. She came to the City of Light in search of freedom . . . the freedom to paint, freedom from a love that nearly destroyed her, freedom from the racial strife in the country she once called home. Swept into the seductive world of high fashion and art gallery intrigues, Chloe finds that Paris posed its own set of challenges--the pressures of living up to her acclaimed reputation, the difficulty of expressing her feelings without a brush, the vow always to remain strong and An associate professor of English at Eastern Michigan University, Heather Neff is a graduate of the University of Paris (Sorbonne) and received her Ph.D. at the University of Zurich. Fluent in German and French, she also worked as a translator and as a language coach for film productions. Before returning to the U.S., she spent two years teaching at the University of the Virgin Islands. Flight Understand this, Michael: There's no such thing as sanctuary.           When I finally fled, bolting up the house on the dawn of that icy New Year and just hours after you boarded the plane, I wasn't sure where I was going. I took a taxi down from the hills with only one bag of the barest essentials. Stood at the airport counter for w