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megansoetaert's review against another edition
sad
medium-paced
3.0
an emotional story about identity & belonging. “who and where do i belong to?” is the central question Akúa reckons with throughout the book, in her memories and her present, navigating her family, death, being a lesbian, and being a Jamaican abroad and at home.
i wish the book had been a little longer- the end felt rushed, and i wanted to see more of a resolution and reflection.
i wish the book had been a little longer- the end felt rushed, and i wanted to see more of a resolution and reflection.
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, and Transphobia
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Death of parent
emelynreads's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I need to try a guinep now! The description of Akua's travels through Kingston were so vibrant, and the loss she described when remembering her brother was emotional. I felt that the constant reminiscing while having a conversation was true to life but overdone in the middle of the book. I really enjoyed the first and last 50 pages or so. Akua is a very cool character, I only wish Jayda and Madonna made an earlier appearance in the novel (you don't meet them until 70% into the book).
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Grief, Terminal illness, Sexual assault, Lesbophobia, Child death, and Death of parent
thebobolink's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, and Misogyny
librar_bee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
Disclaimer: Thank you to the publishers at Catapult for a galley ARC in exchange for my honest review.
4.25 stars. Following the tragic death of her young brother from sickle cell anemia, twenty-year-old Akúa returns to Kingston, Jamaica - her birth city - to seek out her older sister, Tamika, in the year 1996. The family emigrated 20 years prior following increased riots in their city.
Spanning Vancouver, Canada, Texas, and Kingston, Akúa's recollections and present experiences in her self-discovery are tender and fraught all at once. With her brother Bryson's ashes in tow, she struggles to connect with the sister who once calmed her with stories after their mother's death, even going so far as to offer herself to be baptized at Tamika's church.
Cooke's writing is evocative of every sense and immediately transported me to a place I'd never been before. The tastes of the fruit, the feeling of the air, warm and sticky, the smells of the sea and the markets - all were tangible. Her ability to slip in and out of the present and the past through Akúa's inner monologue was fluid in a way that added a sort of magical element to the prose. As Akúa weaves herself back into her home culture, her patois mirrors her comfort with herself and her home. Meeting Jayda, a queer stripper, lures her into a pocket of society where her identities seem to coexist in harmony.
Tragically, Akúa learns the dangers of being an openly lesbian woman in Jamaica in the harrowing final scenes, and the end of the novel sees Tamika giving Akúa a baptism of her own before her return to Canada. Throughout the novel, we viscerally feel the unease that Akúa does as she remains unsettled throughout her life. As the middle child, she has played both the roles of younger and older sister, and as a Jamaican, an American, and a Canadian. While the sapphic plot does not dominate the novel, Akúa's lesbianism is her consistency, and we see her continuing journey to own her sexuality in her flashbacks to Sara and encounters with Jayda.
A beautiful novel with touching, real characters. I wanted more from each of them, to settle into the story and observe their growth, to know what happened next. Overall the pacing was steady, though it sped up at the end and felt abrupt despite the necessary shift in tone. An essential read.
4.25 stars. Following the tragic death of her young brother from sickle cell anemia, twenty-year-old Akúa returns to Kingston, Jamaica - her birth city - to seek out her older sister, Tamika, in the year 1996. The family emigrated 20 years prior following increased riots in their city.
Spanning Vancouver, Canada, Texas, and Kingston, Akúa's recollections and present experiences in her self-discovery are tender and fraught all at once. With her brother Bryson's ashes in tow, she struggles to connect with the sister who once calmed her with stories after their mother's death, even going so far as to offer herself to be baptized at Tamika's church.
Cooke's writing is evocative of every sense and immediately transported me to a place I'd never been before. The tastes of the fruit, the feeling of the air, warm and sticky, the smells of the sea and the markets - all were tangible. Her ability to slip in and out of the present and the past through Akúa's inner monologue was fluid in a way that added a sort of magical element to the prose. As Akúa weaves herself back into her home culture, her patois mirrors her comfort with herself and her home. Meeting Jayda, a queer stripper, lures her into a pocket of society where her identities seem to coexist in harmony.
A beautiful novel with touching, real characters. I wanted more from each of them, to settle into the story and observe their growth, to know what happened next. Overall the pacing was steady, though it sped up at the end and felt abrupt despite the necessary shift in tone. An essential read.
Graphic: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Sexual assault
Minor: Death of parent and Child death
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