What's Mine and Yours

What’s Mine and Yours is the second novel by author Naima Coster. This novel follows two families, both affected by the loss of a father figure, both led by strong mothers determined to do whatever it takes to see their children have a better life than they did. The novel tackles tough subjects, such as identity struggles and school integration, partially through the eyes of Noelle and Gee, two of the children most affected by their mothers’ choices.

This study guide uses the e-book version of What’s Mine and Yours published by Hachette Book Group, Inc 2021.

Content Warning: The novel for which this study guide has been created includes depictions of racism, substance use disorder, and mentions of teen pregnancy and abortion.

Plot Summary

Ray Gilbert is a baker who works at Superfine, a bakery he convinced his coworker, Linette, to open and possibly leave to him after her death. On this day in 1992, Ray and Linette are expecting a reporter to come by to take pictures for a story about the revitalization of the area in and around Beard Street. Ray has brought his girlfriend Jade’s six-year-old son, Gee, with him to work so that Jade could sleep in. Jade is a nursing student who often goes out drinking. She is fighting a hangover and has a big test. When she calls and asks Ray to pick Gee up from school later that day, he agrees to bring Gee over to her cousin Wilson’s house, where she will be waiting. Unfortunately, when Ray arrives, a man is confronting Jade and Wilson over money. Ray gets in the middle of the argument in an attempt to protect Jade and is shot to death. Gee runs to him, calling for his father.

Ray’s friend, mechanic Robbie Ventura, falls into a depression after Ray’s death that leads to a drug addiction. Four years after Ray’s death, Robbie is in prison for stealing a police car, leaving his wife, Lacey May, and three daughters—Diane, Noelle, and Margarita—without an income. Lacey May sends the last of her money to Robbie so he can call home, but he never does. Without prospects of a job, and with the school threatening to turn Lacey May in to social services, Lacey May agrees to move in with an old high school friend, Hank Gibbs. Over the years Robbie spends in jail, Lacey May realizes Hank can care for her and the girls better than Robbie, so she decides to marry Hank despite her lingering feelings for Robbie.

In 2002, 10 years after Ray’s death, the schools in the county have decided to integrate by exchanging 200 students between the inner-city school and the county school. Many parents at the county school are upset by this, as they believe the kids from the east side of town—many of whom are students of color—are dangerous, or are “stealing” opportunities from their own children. These parents organize protests, mostly led by Lacey May. Noelle is horrified by her mother’s actions and begins acting out. She becomes pregnant by her boyfriend, Duke, and seeks out an abortion with the help of her neighbor, Ruth Green.

At the clinic, Noelle meets Jade, who has worked hard to provide for Gee in the years since Ray’s death. Noelle remembers Jade giving a speech on behalf of her son Gee, who is a transfer student into Noelle’s school. Jade is a kind and supportive nurse, and Noelle bonds with her. At school, Noelle seeks out Gee and invites him to be in the school play for which she is the manager. Noelle and Gee develop a friendship that causes tension when Duke’s friends find out about it. Duke’s friends seek out Gee and beat him up, causing him serious injuries. Jade is angry and wants Gee to press charges, but he refuses. Jade also wants Gee to leave the school, but he refuses that too, insisting on returning to finish the play. Noelle visits Gee in the hospital; Lacey May follows her and scolds her for getting involved with Gee, and her open prejudice offends Jade. Furious, Noelle moves out of her mother’s house.

Noelle breaks up with Duke and becomes close with Gee when he returns to school. Gee reverts to his birth name, Nelson, deciding Gee is a child’s name and he’s ready to be a man. After graduation, Noelle and Nelson go to the same college, and go on road trips together during school breaks to avoid their families back home. It is during these road trips that Nelson begins taking photographs, leading to a career as a photographer. Noelle and Nelson get married, but after Noelle has a miscarriage, their marriage begins to fall apart. By 2018, Nelson has gone to Paris to work on a new book. While he is gone, Noelle spends time with an old college friend, Inéz, who tells her she’s lost herself in Nelson. Shortly after, Diane calls Noelle home, telling her that Lacey May is sick.

At home, Noelle reunites with her sisters, her unhappiness in the life she has made for herself forcing her to see her sisters in a different light. The three girls make amends for past tensions and begin getting to know each other again. Margarita is an aspiring model who eventually finds work as an actress. Diane, the dog lover in the family, owns a doggie day camp with her girlfriend, Alma. No one in Diane’s family knew about her sexuality, but Diane tells her sisters the truth during this visit. Not long after, Diane tells Lacey May, and Noelle is somewhat shocked by her mother’s easy acceptance of Alma after she refused to accept Nelson.

During her visit home, Noelle learns Nelson is having an affair. Noelle files for divorce. A year later, she has settled in a small coastal town. She becomes pregnant by Ruth Green’s son, Bailey. By 2020, Noelle has found contentment in her life with her child. Nelson, who has struggled with his emotions since the day of Ray’s murder, feels lost without Noelle and regrets his actions. Nelson goes to Jade, reconnecting with his mother after years of drifting apart. For the first time since Nelson’s childhood, Jade shares her feelings about Ray, explaining that she pushed her grief away for Nelson’s sake. Nelson expresses emotion with Jade for the first time in many years, and she comforts him.