Sabrina Lamb Debuts New Novel, “A Kettle of Vultures”
Previous Post by Terrance Dean in Special Features > Read-A-Book on Oct 28, 2010 at 10:45 am
If David Sedaris’ Naked and Zadie Smith’s White Teeth spawned a literary child, A KETTLE OF VULTURES…LEFT BEAK MARKS ON MY FOREHEAD (Strebor/Atria Books; October 2010; 978-1-59309-335-8; $15.00) would be their offspring.
Written with humorous abandon by popular satirist, former stand-up comic and media commentator Sabrina Lamb, A KETTLE OF VULTURES is a fictional romp which exposes the acerbic thoughts of image consultant Iris Chapman, her dysfunctional family, socially maladjusted clients, magical friends and her adventurous journey toward self-acceptance. Unbeknownst to Iris Chapman, an Atlanta-based image consultant, a kettle of low-flying vultures had convened overhead as she boarded the flight home to Opa Locka, on the day of her brother Victor’s wedding.
Following their customary bear hugs, Iris’s eccentric family launched into the inquisition. Iris wasn’t in the mood for an interrogation led by Ms. Chickie, her octogenarian grandmother. Nor was Iris prepared for her mother’s, the superstitious Lee Artist, denunciation of anything nappy.
“Why Do I Have To Think Like A Man?”
Her hermit-like father Edward, wracked with long-cemented ire and burdened by the codes of his beloved Opa Locka Free Masons, would not protect her. Iris had forgotten that dancing through the minefield of her family’s Book of Judgments, was the required ritual of visiting home.
Ms. Chickie accuses the Reverend Doctor Blake of killing Lottie Taylor, the newly designated president of the Usher Board, having been appointed after Ms. Chickie’s sudden removal. Ms. Chickie also accuses him of embezzling church funds. The Reverend attempts to bluff his way out of the situation, until Ms. Chickie reveals Walter, her 45-caliber handgun, which makes him see the error of his ways.
In addition to escapades involving her unconventional family, Iris encounters adventures with various image clients, including a recording artist, an NBA draft pick, and a stand-up comedienne. Iris fly-swats any insinuation that being anything other than herself is less than perfect. Iris knows she is perfect in her own way.
With A KETTLE OF VULTURES, Sabrina Lamb invites readers into her love of comedy and storytelling. One may remember Sabrina, a Miami native, from Lifetime Television’s Girl’s Night Out, where she wove her comedic skills around issues such as homelessness, foreign policy and spousal abuse, so it is no surprise that Sabrina brilliantly forges comedy with fiction and social commentary in A KETTLE OF VULTURES.
