He Brought Her Heart Back in a Box has a surrealist taste, as scenes shift and characters interact in passing. The story centers on two teenagers in 1940s Georgia, a time where racism and segregation ran rampant. Kay, a young black girl, struggles to discover the truth of her mother’s death while her paramour, Chris, the son of wealthy, white landowner, pursues a career in theatre in New York.
Etta and Ella on the Upper West Side also had a bit of a surrealist feel to it—a characteristic that seems to appear in much of Kennedy’s work—but with the added gristle of murder. Etta and Ella have been competing their entire lives it seems. They’re soon down to the last straw, a horrible act is committed, and Etta begins her descent into madness.
Mom, How Did You Meet the Beatles? is an inspiring tale of a writer taking leaps and pursuing dreams that few could hope to reach. In a conversation between herself and her son Adam, the story is revealed. Kennedy moved to London in the 60s and undertook the daunting task of converting a book of John Lennon’s verses into a work fit for the stage. Readers are left with the bitter taste of bigotry and patriarchal plagiarism on their tongues.
Almost Eighty follows a more stream-of-consciousness dialogue as the author reminisces on her life and all the wonderful things she has yet to do. Her mother’s old scrapbook becomes a compass of sorts, leading her to find new joy in life and form new goals to accomplish.
