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niaforrester's review against another edition
5.0
This book turned out to be an engrossing read for me. It is, without a doubt, one of the strongest voices I have read in a long time, transporting me easily to places I know well from having grown up in Jamaica. Colin Channer’s fearless and pitch-perfect use of Jamaican patois in dialogue could have made this book incomprehensible to many readers, but God bless him, he went all in anyway. I often had to stop and chuckle at references, sayings and Jamaican-isms that I thought I had forgotten, but recalled immediately when I saw them in his words, or ‘heard’ them in his characters’ voices.
While at times I found his prose to be dense and self-indulgent (the kind where you go, ‘oh Lord, not another metaphor’), like someone showing off their fluency in a second language, he so skillfully incorporated all five senses that I ultimately couldn’t feel anything but admiration for his skill. You feel the coolness of the sea breezes, taste the roasted corn, and hear the deep bass drums in the reggae music and are transported. This is clearly a love story, but it was also a heart-wrenching, soul-crushing portrayal of how complicated it can be when men love each other as brothers even when they are not; and the million tiny transgressions that men and women visit upon each other when they are lovers.
The complexity of the relationship between Blanche and Fire, a man and his much more seasoned older lover with whom he could never feel like an equal; and then between Fire and Sylvia who were evenly-matched but at different places on the path to self-acceptance ... wow. Both illustrated the hundreds of ways that men and women can truly, really love each other, and still get things horribly wrong.
And Ian. By far the most complicated and confounding character in the novel. I both loved and loathed him at various points, and ultimately felt empathy for him as someone struggling to understand and open himself up to love but failing spectacularly on both counts.
If I had to find any fault with the book, it would be that there was an underlying pretentiousness, or self-conscious artsiness about it. Populated by talented tenth, well-traveled, cosmopolitan Blacks who hang out with all the eighties NYC ‘cool kids’ like artist Keith Haring, former Olympian and model Andre Six, and designer Willi Smith, at times the book (and author) seemed to be trying too hard. It felt like another instance of the author reassuring us of his artsy street-cred. Especially since the characters themselves did not particularly seem like products of that scene, some of those references felt gratuitous. Channer redeemed himself however with his incredibly insightful observations about what it’s like to be a privileged Jamaican both in Jamaica and abroad, and about the strong ties that bind those in the diaspora to their island home. Highly recommended for lovers of literary fiction.
While at times I found his prose to be dense and self-indulgent (the kind where you go, ‘oh Lord, not another metaphor’), like someone showing off their fluency in a second language, he so skillfully incorporated all five senses that I ultimately couldn’t feel anything but admiration for his skill. You feel the coolness of the sea breezes, taste the roasted corn, and hear the deep bass drums in the reggae music and are transported. This is clearly a love story, but it was also a heart-wrenching, soul-crushing portrayal of how complicated it can be when men love each other as brothers even when they are not; and the million tiny transgressions that men and women visit upon each other when they are lovers.
The complexity of the relationship between Blanche and Fire, a man and his much more seasoned older lover with whom he could never feel like an equal; and then between Fire and Sylvia who were evenly-matched but at different places on the path to self-acceptance ... wow. Both illustrated the hundreds of ways that men and women can truly, really love each other, and still get things horribly wrong.
And Ian. By far the most complicated and confounding character in the novel. I both loved and loathed him at various points, and ultimately felt empathy for him as someone struggling to understand and open himself up to love but failing spectacularly on both counts.
If I had to find any fault with the book, it would be that there was an underlying pretentiousness, or self-conscious artsiness about it. Populated by talented tenth, well-traveled, cosmopolitan Blacks who hang out with all the eighties NYC ‘cool kids’ like artist Keith Haring, former Olympian and model Andre Six, and designer Willi Smith, at times the book (and author) seemed to be trying too hard. It felt like another instance of the author reassuring us of his artsy street-cred. Especially since the characters themselves did not particularly seem like products of that scene, some of those references felt gratuitous. Channer redeemed himself however with his incredibly insightful observations about what it’s like to be a privileged Jamaican both in Jamaica and abroad, and about the strong ties that bind those in the diaspora to their island home. Highly recommended for lovers of literary fiction.
lyricalimpress's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
To me, the cover of this book doesn't do it justice, this book is beautifully written and captures so many aspects of Jamaican culture and it's diaspora so well. Colin Channer masterfully explains a series of complex dynamics within Jamaican culture which include but are not limited to the social and economic class system which extends to the United Kingdom . He is able to capture the movement of this story through two islands as well as the United States and England with each location being it's own character. I love that he explores all aspects of each character in thoughtful and insightful ways. Adrian and Sylvia have their own social circles and different approaches to their respective aspirations and goals. They are each trying to navigate through romantic relationships and friendships that they have outgrown while Sylvia seems to continue to turn a blind eye to certain aspects of blatant manipulation in her own relationship and friendships. Although Adrian seems to be more cognizant and almost accepting of those realities with respect to the nature of his relationship with Blanche. As they move towards one another, you have the intersectionality of their social circles which effect their careers and personal lives. I personally appreciate the patois and the honesty with both the expectation and disappointment of love, however, I would like to see a follow up to how these characters evolve as human beings rather than being deduced to a trope by the end of that winding road to one another
ward_brianm's review
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
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