Red Hats Book

Meet Alma, a mother and wife, who’s brutally honest and bitter. Disappointment and heartbreak have left the once vital and joyful woman so cynical and self-protecting that she has forgotten how to love anyone, including herself.

She has become so accustomed to being resentful of her husband, James, that even when she wants to show him love she doesn’t know how. He made some mistakes over the course of their decades-long marriage, but she made some mistakes, too, which alienated not only her husband but friends and neighbors as well. Deep down she is sorry for what happened and still loves Harold, but stubborn pride eats away the short time they have left to make amends.

When she finds herself widowed with grown children in far-off places, a deep loneliness sets in and she starts to give up on life. That is until a group of red hat ladies—whom she once thought of as belonging to a cult—extend hands of friendship and reintroduce her to herself and, possibly, a new love.

In this debut novel, Wayans has crafted unforgettable characters in Alma, her family, and friends, and a charming story that stays with the reader long after the last page is read and reminds us of the enduring power of love and friendship.

Publishers Weekly

Comedian-actor Wayans (Bootleg) makes his unlikely fiction debut with a morality tale about an embittered, sharp-tongued woman who, by novel's end, gets readers rooting for her. Facing her 65th birthday, Alma is noisily unhappy with her life, her children, and, especially, her husband, Harold. When Harold dies of a heart attack, however, she's so lonely and guilt-stricken that she turns to suicide. Luckily, her attempt is thwarted by a group of ladies belonging to the Red Hat Society, a (real-life) organization of women 50 years or more old, dedicated to living life to its fullest. Though the Red Hats, each with problems of her own, open their hearts to Alma, she remains a captive of her bitterness, turning the same fury she casts on her family at the society. When a second tragedy befalls Alma, and the Red Hats once again offer help, Alma begins to reciprocate their friendship, gradually softens to the world, and finally realizes the value of other people. Though entirely predictable, Wayan's story is propelled by engaging characters and snappy dialogue that keep his hard-on-her-luck, harder-to-like protagonist in check.
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