The Revelation of Dionne Daphne - a woman's journey to self-awakening and healing.

Dionne Daphne is a successful beauty editor at Essence magazine. On the surface, the thirty-three-year-old Ivy league Columbia graduate seems to lead a life anyone would envy. She's recently ended her relationship with her boyfriend Darren because he was too slow to commit to the future she believed they both desired. However, when Darren shows up at her Brooklyn home and delivers some terrible news, Dionne is devastated. In trying to sort out the implications of this horrible information, Dionne goes on a road trip to confront a deeply buried trauma from her past. It's a secret she has hidden from those closest to her, including her friend Farrah, who is like a sister to her. Dionne is ready to shed the mask she's been wearing but knows there will be significant wreckage left behind. 

The Revelation of Dionne Daphne is the debut novel by Mara Brock Akil, an award-winning writer, producer, director, and showrunner. This moving story unfolds over two weeks in the spring of 1991. Dionne is a bright woman who has achieved so much yet her life has been shaped by childhood trauma. Following Darren's shocking news, she finds the courage to take control of her life, which had been impacted by shame and regret. While it's a universal story of self-awakening, I appreciated the perspective of a woman within the Black community. 

Many thanks to Crown Publishing and Storehouse Voices for the advance. 

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Literary Fiction.

Publication Date: June 30, 2026.

Please "like" this post if The Revelation of Dionne Daphne sounds like a book you’d enjoy reading. I'd love to know. Scroll below the photo and click on the red outlined heart on the lower right-hand side of the page. Comments can also be left below.