What We Lose is Zinzi Clemmons's profoundly moving debut novel, plunging readers into the life of Thandi, a young woman of mixed racial background who grapples with complex questions of identity, race, and belonging. Thandi navigates the intricate landscapes of grief and love while contending with her mother's terminal illness. Her journey is a mosaic of experiences that spans continents and cultures, from the streets of Johannesburg, where her mother was raised, to the diverse backdrop of Pennsylvania, where Thandi grows up. With grace and intellectual ferocity, Clemmons dissects what it means to be both black and white, American and foreign. As Thandi comes of age amidst loss and upheaval, her quest for an anchor in the form of relationships and connections paints a stirring portrait of life's poignant search for meaning.