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The Twelve-Mile Straight


An audacious American epic set in rural Georgia during the years of the ...
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Did you suspect who Nan and the twins' fathers were before the truth was revealed?

Created: 07/11/18

Replies: 16

Posted Jul. 11, 2018 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
davinamw

Join Date: 10/15/10

Posts: 3442

Did you suspect who Nan and the twins' fathers were before the truth was revealed?

Did you suspect who Nan and the twins' fathers were before the truth was revealed? Did you spot any hints early on in the plot?


Posted Jul. 15, 2018 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
rebeccar

Join Date: 03/13/12

Posts: 548

RE: Did you suspect who Nan and the twins' fathers were before the truth was revealed?

I thought I knew, but the blood type charts were a surprise. To be honest, I had to pause and look over the blood types more closely than I would read an ordinary sentence.


Posted Jul. 16, 2018 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Marcia S

Join Date: 02/08/16

Posts: 505

RE: Did you suspect who Nan and the twins' fathers were before the truth was revealed?

I suspected Juke of being involved. He seemed to be involved in anything bad in the book. We already knew that Freddie was Winnie's father.


Posted Jul. 16, 2018 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
laurap

Join Date: 06/19/12

Posts: 407

RE: Did you suspect who Nan and the twins' fathers were before the truth was revealed?

By about halfway through the book , when Wilson started getting sick, I began to think that Genus was in fact his father (because of the sickle cell trait). Winna's parentage was clear from the beginning. Once Wilson was "assigned" to Genus, Nan's parentage came into question for me, and then the blood type charts made to facts clear.


Posted Jul. 19, 2018 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
beckyh

Join Date: 05/08/11

Posts: 113

RE: Did you suspect who Nan and the twins' fathers were before the truth was revealed?

Yes, I had it figured out about 1/4 of the way through the book.


Posted Jul. 19, 2018 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
melanieb

Join Date: 08/30/14

Posts: 265

RE: Did you suspect who Nan and the twins' fathers were before the truth was revealed?

I suspected Juke was Nan’s father early in the story when Juke didn’t mind having Nan around and seemed protective of her. When Oliver explained his medical work involving sickle cell anemia and discussed the findings of Genus’ autopsy, I realized Genus was Wilson’s father.


Posted Jul. 19, 2018 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
JLPen77

Join Date: 02/05/16

Posts: 362

RE: Did you suspect who Nan and the twins' fathers were before the truth was revealed?

I started getting suspicious when Oliver talked about Genus’s missing spleen and sickle cell, and then the baby Wilson kept getting sick.


Posted Jul. 20, 2018 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
karenrn

Join Date: 08/29/13

Posts: 102

RE: Did you suspect who Nan and the twins' fathers were before the truth was revealed?

I was suspicious when I found out that Juke used to sleep with Nan's mother.When Wilson kept getting sick I suspected Genus was his father. If Genus was Wilson's father I knew the Jessup traits came from Nan. A lot of people make it sound like Juke knew he was Nan's dad but I don't think he did. Is there somewhere in the book that shows that Juke knew?


Posted Jul. 20, 2018 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
llsmill

Join Date: 02/13/13

Posts: 38

RE Did you suspect who Nan and the twins fathers were before the truth was revealed&#x3f&#x3b;

I had a strong feeling that the black child was Nan's because of the talk around town of his love for black women
and the way he made excuses when he made her get up in the middle of the night to join him in the still house. E!ma only had one male boyfriend that was mentioned except for Fredie Wilson, the landlord's son. After Nan's baby started to get sick and fussed Everytime he ate and they had trouble soothing him it made me think of Genus and his abdominal pain. Then I went back to Juke loved black women and how he lived with Nan's mom ad Nan and Elma my suspicions were correct.


Posted Jul. 21, 2018 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
MarieA

Join Date: 10/12/11

Posts: 256

RE: Did you suspect who Nan and the twins' fathers were before the truth was revealed?

Yes, I suspected as a result of clues the author presented throughout the novel.


Posted Jul. 21, 2018 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
juliaa

Join Date: 12/03/11

Posts: 276

RE: Did you suspect who Nan and the twins' fathers were before the truth was revealed?

I guessed about Nan early on, but it took me longer for the "twins."


Posted Jul. 21, 2018 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
josephinej

Join Date: 05/11/15

Posts: 95

RE: Did you suspect who Nan and the twins' fathers were before the truth was revealed?

I thought Henderson was really skilled at both dropping hints here and there and yet putting red herrings in our way. Like other readers, I started to suspect when Wilson got so sick, and much had been made of Genus' sickle cell syndrome.


Posted Jul. 29, 2018 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
cindyj

Join Date: 06/26/18

Posts: 32

RE: Did you suspect who Nan and the twins' fathers were before the truth was revealed?

Yes, I thought Juke was responsible almost from the start at least for Wilson.


Posted Aug. 02, 2018 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
swchis39

Join Date: 09/26/12

Posts: 172

RE: Did you suspect who Nan and the twins' fathers were before the truth was revealed?

The author displayed clues along the way but it took me awhile to realize the truth. It is better to not figure the truth out early in a novel. The suspense keeps younreading


Posted Aug. 02, 2018 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
shannonl

Join Date: 12/04/17

Posts: 50

RE: Did you suspect who Nan and the twins' fathers were before the truth was revealed?

I thought the potential/probable father became obvious about half way through the novel. It didn't make a difference in how I read the rest of the novel but by the end it was "okay, now what."


Posted Aug. 04, 2018 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
johnw

Join Date: 03/11/12

Posts: 102

RE: Did you suspect who Nan and the twins' fathers were before the truth was revealed?

The author did a skillful job at including hints throughout the book and then distracting you as to confuse you and keep you guessing. When Wilson got sick then it became obvious Genus was the father.


Posted Aug. 28, 2018 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
taking.mytime's Gravatar
taking.mytime

Join Date: 03/29/16

Posts: 364

RE: Did you suspect who Nan and the twins' fathers were before the truth was revealed?

I was suspect to the parentage of both Winnie and Wilson. However, I was also suspect of the parentage of Nan. I was sure I had figured it out just before it was revealed.


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