Scan barcode
journeyingjo's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
What I loved
- I feel most of the books I've read on the immigrant struggle centers racial issues. While this is a big chunk of what immigrants have to face, it's not the end all be all. For example, there's family issues, the decision of how much to change and how much to retain from your previous country/culture, and the shaping of who you want to be now. And this is what I think the book does best - it's a coming of age of a character who also happens to be an immigrant, and racial issues is only one thing she has to deal with among others. In a way, this approach humanizes the immigrant experience more.
- It tackled the question of returning to the homeland in an open-ended way; something I don't see much in the immigrant narratives I've read.
- Descriptions of living with mental illness
- Descriptions of Jamaica and its food
What I wasn't a fan of
- The long descriptions - you have to get through part 1 and then it'll get better from there :-)
Highly recommend this book! Just be patient with part 1.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, and Mental illness
More...