A Love Song for Ricki Wilde Summary, Characters and Themes
“A Love Song for Ricki Wilde” by Tia Williams is a captivating blend of contemporary romance, historical fiction, and fantasy that takes readers on a journey through the vibrant history of Harlem.
The novel is a magical love story that transcends time, centering on Ricki Wilde, a quirky young woman with big dreams, and Ezra Walker, an immortal pianist burdened by a curse. As their lives intersect in the heart of Harlem, they uncover secrets from the past that shape their destiny. With its rich cultural backdrop and compelling characters, this novel is a love letter to Harlem and its enduring legacy.
Summary
Ricki Wilde, a 28-year-old woman with a flair for vintage fashion and a socially awkward demeanor, is the youngest member of the Wilde family, known for their funeral home business.
However, Ricki dreams of a different path—owning a flower shop in New York City. When her business idea is met with disdain by her family during a dinner party, Ricki finds unexpected support from Ms. Della Bennett, a 96-year-old widow whose husband has recently passed away.
Della offers Ricki the chance to rent the ground floor of her Harlem brownstone in exchange for weekly tea sessions, giving Ricki the perfect opportunity to pursue her dream.
Moving to Harlem fills Ricki with excitement, but her initial days are lonely and challenging. She begins a casual relationship with Ali, a local handyman and artist who paints a nude portrait of her, only to discover that he’s been involved with other women in the same way.
This revelation ends their relationship. Meanwhile, Ricki struggles to attract customers to her flower shop, Wilde Things, until a chance meeting at a community garden introduces her to Ezra Walker, a mysterious man drawn to the blooming night-blooming jasmines that defy the winter season.
Ricki’s business woes worsen after the New Year, and she finds solace in commemorating Harlem’s history by leaving unsold bouquets at historic sites.
This act goes viral on social media, leading to a major break: a celebrity makeup artist hires her for his wedding, where Ezra is the pianist. Despite their undeniable chemistry, Ezra repeatedly warns Ricki to keep her distance, haunted by a secret he cannot reveal.
As Ricki forms a deep bond with Della, she remains unaware of Della’s terminal cancer diagnosis. Della encourages Ricki to embrace life and make her mark on the world.
Flashbacks reveal Ezra’s tragic past: born in 1900 to sharecroppers in South Carolina, he faced unimaginable loss during Red Summer, when his family was killed by the Klan. He found solace in music, rising to prominence in Harlem’s vibrant scene.
However, his love affair with Felice Fabienne, a dancer and voodoo practitioner, ended in tragedy when she cursed him with immortality and took her own life.
In the present, Ezra confides in his life coach, Dr. Arroyo-Abril, another immortal, who urges him to be honest with Ricki.
They spend a day together, deepening their connection, but when Ezra reveals his curse, Ricki is overwhelmed and needs time to process. Della then shares her own history, revealing that she is Felice’s daughter, confirming Ezra’s story.
As Ricki’s fate looms, they search for a way to break the curse. Ricki’s friend Tuesday is supportive, but Della initially distances herself. A hoodoo expert, Eva Mercy, offers a grim solution: a sacrifice is required to save Ricki.
Unwilling to sacrifice another, Ricki accepts her fate. In her final days, she and Ezra create lasting memories, and Ricki gains the confidence to stand up to her sisters.
On the night of February 28, Ricki and Ezra try to sleep through midnight, hoping to avoid her death. To their surprise, Ricki wakes up alive, and Ezra is now mortal. They soon discover that Della has sacrificed her life to break the curse.
The novel concludes with Ricki and Ezra marrying and starting a family, their love finally free from the shadows of the past.
Characters
Ricki Wilde
Ricki Wilde, the protagonist of the novel, is a 28-year-old woman whose eccentric personality sets her apart from her more conventional family. As the youngest daughter of the Wilde family, she struggles to find her place within the family business, Wilde Funeral Homes, which she is not passionate about.
Instead, Ricki dreams of opening a flower shop, driven by her love for thrifted fashion and her unique vision for life. Her character is marked by her social awkwardness and a deep-seated desire to break free from the expectations placed upon her by her family.
Throughout the novel, Ricki evolves from a woman uncertain of her worth and direction to someone who learns to assert herself and pursue her dreams. Even when faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges, her journey is one of self-discovery, courage, and the pursuit of love.
This journey culminates in her decision to embrace her feelings for Ezra despite the supernatural obstacles that arise.
Ezra Walker
Ezra Walker is a complex and tragic figure, immortal due to a curse placed on him in 1928. Born in 1900, Ezra’s early life was shaped by the racial violence of the Red Summer and the loss of his family.
His talent for piano brought him to Harlem, where he thrived during the Harlem Renaissance. However, his love affair with Felice Fabienne, a dancer and voodoo practitioner, led to his curse of immortality, with the added torment of seeing the face of his true love in his mind—a face that only appeared in reality decades later in Ricki Wilde.
Ezra is a character weighed down by his past, the loss of his family and cousin, and the guilt over Felice’s death. His immortality becomes both a gift and a burden as he navigates through the years, influencing music and culture but remaining isolated and unable to form lasting connections.
His relationship with Ricki offers him a chance at redemption and love, pushing him to confront his fears and the curse that has haunted him for nearly a century.
Della Bennett
Della Bennett, at 96 years old, serves as a pivotal character in Ricki’s life. She offers Ricki both a place to live and an opportunity to pursue her dreams in Harlem.
Initially presented as a supportive, grandmotherly figure, Della’s character is later revealed to be deeply intertwined with the novel’s supernatural elements. She is the abandoned daughter of Felice Fabienne, the woman who cursed Ezra, adding layers of complexity to her relationship with both Ricki and Ezra.
Della’s own life is marked by pain and loss, including the terminal cancer diagnosis she keeps secret. Despite this, she encourages Ricki to live fully and courageously.
Her ultimate sacrifice—taking her own life to break the curse and save Ricki—cements her role as a tragic yet selfless figure. Her actions ensure that Ricki and Ezra can have a future together.
Felice Fabienne
Felice Fabienne, though deceased long before the events of the present timeline, is a character whose influence permeates the novel. As a dancer and voodoo practitioner during the Harlem Renaissance, she was deeply in love with Ezra.
However, her love turned to anger and vengeance when she realized he was not proposing marriage to her. Felice’s curse on Ezra was an act of desperation and pain, rooted in her unfulfilled desires and deep-seated insecurities.
Her tragic death by suicide not only sealed Ezra’s fate but also set into motion the events that would eventually connect him with Ricki. Felice’s character is complex, embodying both the allure and danger of love, as well as the destructive power of unaddressed emotions and unmet expectations.
Ali
Ali, the handyman and local portrait artist whom Ricki dates casually, represents a fleeting and ultimately disappointing romantic connection in Ricki’s life. While their relationship initially provides Ricki with some comfort in her new and lonely life in Harlem, it soon becomes clear that Ali is not the committed partner she seeks.
His infidelity, symbolized by his habit of painting nude portraits of various women, including Ricki, underscores his superficial nature and lack of genuine emotional depth. Ali’s character serves as a foil to Ezra, highlighting the contrast between a shallow, non-committal relationship and the profound, albeit complicated, bond that Ricki eventually forms with Ezra.
Tuesday Rowe
Tuesday Rowe, a former child actor, becomes Ricki’s first true friend in Harlem. Her character is lively, supportive, and open-minded, providing Ricki with the companionship and encouragement she desperately needs.
Tuesday’s acceptance of Ricki’s eccentricities and her surprising receptiveness to the supernatural aspects of Ricki’s relationship with Ezra underscore her role as a loyal and understanding friend. Tuesday’s character adds a layer of warmth and humor to the story, balancing the novel’s heavier themes with her positive and vibrant personality.
Dr. Arroyo-Abril
Dr. Arroyo-Abril is another immortal character in the novel, serving as Ezra’s life coach. His role is primarily advisory, guiding Ezra through the complexities of immortality and urging him to confront his fears and be honest with Ricki about his curse.
Although his appearances in the novel are brief, Dr. Arroyo-Abril represents the wisdom and experience that comes with immortality, as well as the isolation and challenges it entails. His advice plays a crucial role in helping Ezra navigate his relationship with Ricki and ultimately contributes to the resolution of the novel’s central conflict.
Themes
The Intersection of Generational Trauma and Personal Identity
In A Love Song for Ricki Wilde, Tia Williams explores the profound impact of generational trauma on personal identity, particularly within the context of African American history. Ezra Walker, whose family was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan during Red Summer, embodies the scars left by systemic racism and violence.
His curse, inflicted by a betrayed lover, can be seen as a metaphor for the way trauma from the past haunts the present. Despite living for over a century, Ezra’s emotional wounds remain unhealed, shaping his interactions and relationships, particularly with Ricki.
Similarly, Ricki’s journey is influenced by her family’s expectations and their belittlement of her eccentricities, which stem from a long-standing tradition of survival and conformity. This theme emphasizes how deeply ingrained generational pain can dictate the course of individual lives, as both Ricki and Ezra struggle to reconcile their inherited burdens with their desires for personal fulfillment and love.
The Temporal Convergence of Romance and Historical Memory
The novel intricately weaves a love story that transcends time, merging contemporary romance with the rich historical tapestry of Harlem’s past. The relationship between Ricki and Ezra serves as a conduit through which the glamour and tragedy of the Harlem Renaissance are re-experienced in the present day.
This convergence of time periods is not merely a narrative device but a thematic exploration of how the past informs the present. Ricki’s connection to Harlem, through her new flower shop and her interactions with Della Bennett, symbolizes a deep-rooted historical memory that lives on through the neighborhood’s streets, buildings, and people.
The past is never truly past in this novel; it lives on in the music, art, and very atmosphere of Harlem, influencing Ricki’s contemporary world and her romantic entanglement with Ezra. Their love is not just a modern affair but one deeply embedded in the echoes of history, suggesting that love itself is timeless and can bridge even the most insurmountable divides of time.
The Dichotomy of Mortality and Immortality as a Catalyst for Human Experience
Williams delves into the existential tension between mortality and immortality, using Ezra’s curse as a lens through which to examine the human condition. Ezra’s immortality, initially portrayed as a curse, brings into sharp focus the fleeting nature of human life and the value of lived experiences.
The novel suggests that it is precisely because life is finite that it holds meaning—every moment, every relationship is precious because it is transient. This theme is further explored through Ricki’s impending death, which looms over the narrative and forces both her and Ezra to confront what truly matters in their remaining time together.
The juxtaposition of Ezra’s eternal life with Ricki’s mortal one raises philosophical questions about the nature of love, memory, and legacy. The resolution of the curse, resulting in Ezra’s newfound mortality, signifies the ultimate embrace of human experience over endless existence, underscoring the novel’s meditation on the beauty of life’s impermanence.
The Feminine Power of Sacrifice and the Legacy of Matrilineal Wisdom
The novel places significant emphasis on the theme of feminine sacrifice, particularly through the character of Della Bennett. Della, as the daughter of Felice Fabienne, embodies the matrilineal transmission of wisdom, pain, and strength.
Her ultimate sacrifice to break the curse binding Ricki and Ezra highlights the theme of women’s enduring strength and their often-unseen contributions to the lives of those around them. This act of self-sacrifice is depicted not just as a personal decision but as the culmination of generational wisdom passed down from mother to daughter.
The narrative honors the quiet yet profound power of women’s choices, particularly those that involve personal loss for the greater good. Moreover, Ricki’s journey to self-acceptance and empowerment is significantly influenced by the women in her life—Della’s mentorship, the support from her friend Tuesday, and even the complicated relationship with her sisters.
The novel thus celebrates the enduring impact of female relationships and the sacrifices women make to protect and nurture the future.
The Enchantment of Place: Harlem as a Character and a Conduit of Magic
Harlem is not merely the setting of A Love Song for Ricki Wilde but is portrayed as a living, breathing entity—a character in its own right that exudes a palpable magic. The neighborhood’s rich cultural history, especially its connection to the Harlem Renaissance, permeates the narrative, lending an air of enchantment that blurs the lines between reality and fantasy.
The mystical elements of the story, such as the night-blooming jasmines in winter and the curse itself, are deeply intertwined with Harlem’s atmosphere, suggesting that the place itself is a conduit of magic. This theme reflects the novel’s broader exploration of how environments shape and influence the people within them.
Harlem’s enduring legacy, filled with art, music, and stories of triumph and tragedy, forms the backdrop against which Ricki and Ezra’s love story unfolds, imbuing their relationship with a sense of timeless wonder. The novel ultimately posits that certain places hold a kind of power—both historical and mystical—that can shape destinies and forge connections that transcend time and space.