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sigridjacobs's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tishywishy's review against another edition
5.0
Patsy is currently one of my favourite books for the year.
Patsy is multi-dimensional, what shapes someone to leave their family and children for a life abroad is never a single issue and Patsy has multiple issues that call her away - love, financial stability, the ability to be herself in a new country (not just Tru mother), the fear of motherhood, being able to love whomever without a community/culture of scorn, etc.
It's also easy to hide from the things you fear the most and Dennis-Benn writes about this so clearly. I've met many Caribbean immigrants like myself who can't recall the last time they called or visited home. Or tragedy occurs and flying home doesn't seem like an option. It would be easy to think it callous but I think any immigrant or family/friends of immigrants who reads this will see strong similarities and parallels.
Learning American culture - a lot of what Cicely said to Patsy, my mother said to me before coming to the US. "Look people in de eye when you talking. Don't tell dem all yuh business, dem love to talk so let dem." My mother, several family members and friends have worked as a housekeepers and babysitters and the stories they would tell sometimes would vary from heartbreaking to funny and (sometimes) heartwarming. This book had me because it spoke about these experiences so succinctly.
Barrel Children (a common phrase for children that receive barrels filled with personal/household items from abroad) - My family would receive barrels when I was younger and it was like a holiday when we opened it, tons of foreign items that would last us months along with a couple personal tokens. The barrel scene had me tearing me because the barrel was filled items based on old, perceived notions and while it's nice to receive things, nothing beats having that person's physical presence. All these jabs and other stressors came together to affect Tru.
There's so much to unravel in Patsy - both mother and daughter's sexuality, domestic abuse, financial security, how America looks from home vs when you actually get there, gentrification, housing in NYC, and the list goes on.
I'll end the review on this note: Patsy is a must read. A MUST READ.
Patsy is multi-dimensional, what shapes someone to leave their family and children for a life abroad is never a single issue and Patsy has multiple issues that call her away - love, financial stability, the ability to be herself in a new country (not just Tru mother), the fear of motherhood, being able to love whomever without a community/culture of scorn, etc.
It's also easy to hide from the things you fear the most and Dennis-Benn writes about this so clearly. I've met many Caribbean immigrants like myself who can't recall the last time they called or visited home. Or tragedy occurs and flying home doesn't seem like an option. It would be easy to think it callous but I think any immigrant or family/friends of immigrants who reads this will see strong similarities and parallels.
Learning American culture - a lot of what Cicely said to Patsy, my mother said to me before coming to the US. "Look people in de eye when you talking. Don't tell dem all yuh business, dem love to talk so let dem." My mother, several family members and friends have worked as a housekeepers and babysitters and the stories they would tell sometimes would vary from heartbreaking to funny and (sometimes) heartwarming. This book had me because it spoke about these experiences so succinctly.
Barrel Children (a common phrase for children that receive barrels filled with personal/household items from abroad) - My family would receive barrels when I was younger and it was like a holiday when we opened it, tons of foreign items that would last us months along with a couple personal tokens. The barrel scene had me tearing me because the barrel was filled items based on old, perceived notions
Spoiler
(like Patsy held up a neon sign that said 'I know nothing about you anymore Tru')There's so much to unravel in Patsy - both mother and daughter's sexuality, domestic abuse, financial security, how America looks from home vs when you actually get there, gentrification, housing in NYC, and the list goes on.
I'll end the review on this note: Patsy is a must read. A MUST READ.
wayfarer_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
marinaemoore's review against another edition
5.0
*I received a copy of this book in a goodreads giveaway in exchange for a fair review*
This book is breathtaking, raw and beautifully written.
Patsy, a young Jamaican mother, dreams of going to America and reuniting with her lover, Cicely. When Patsy finally gets to America, she realizes that the American dream might not be all it’s cracked up to be.
This book touches on the themes of motherhood, immigration, love, and womanhood in a refreshingly honest way.
This book is breathtaking, raw and beautifully written.
Patsy, a young Jamaican mother, dreams of going to America and reuniting with her lover, Cicely. When Patsy finally gets to America, she realizes that the American dream might not be all it’s cracked up to be.
This book touches on the themes of motherhood, immigration, love, and womanhood in a refreshingly honest way.
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
Book on CD narrated by Sharon Gordon.
This novel follows Patsy, a young Jamaican mother of a 5-year-old girl, Tru, as she makes her way to America and tries to find a better life for herself. However, in order to find herself and achieve her potential, she must leave her daughter back in Jamaica, in the care of her father, a man Patsy never married, and with whom she’s had little contact. But leaving Tru with Roy is much better than leaving her with Patsy’s mother, Mamma G, a woman who has given all her pension to the Church hoping that Jesus will save her.
This story is in turns heartbreaking and inspiring. I applaud Patsy’s determination, courage, inventiveness and work ethic, but have difficulty forgiving her for leaving her child in Jamaica. Her guilt at this no-win choice is palpable and heart-wrenching. Her inability to deal with the very real results of her decision made me want to shake her. And then, I would feel so sorry for her – for the difficulty she faced when her dream was proved to be just that, a dream with no real basis in reality, for her struggles to survive, to find housing and work, for her misguided attempts to find even a little happiness and a sense of self-worth.
Dennis-Benn alternates points of view giving the reader insight into Tru’s life back in Jamaica. Her inability to understand how her mother could leave her, the sliver of hope a Christmas card conveys, and the defeat she feels when she finally accepts that her mother is not coming back. , My heart breaks over and over for Tru as she grows to her teens and hides her pain and sense of responsibility for her mother’s decisions.
But lest you think this is a depressing story, be aware that I loved these characters, even though I didn’t always like them. Despite all the hardship, all the bad decisions and failures to communicate, ultimately there is some triumph and some sense of hope.
Sharon Gordon does a marvelous job of voicing the audiobook. Dennis-Benn uses a vernacular patois dialogue in much of the book, and I found it difficult to make out the sense in those few sections that I chose to read in text format. Gordon’s performance made it easier for me to absorb and understand those lilting Jamaican accents. She really brought these characters to life for me.
This novel follows Patsy, a young Jamaican mother of a 5-year-old girl, Tru, as she makes her way to America and tries to find a better life for herself. However, in order to find herself and achieve her potential, she must leave her daughter back in Jamaica, in the care of her father, a man Patsy never married, and with whom she’s had little contact. But leaving Tru with Roy is much better than leaving her with Patsy’s mother, Mamma G, a woman who has given all her pension to the Church hoping that Jesus will save her.
This story is in turns heartbreaking and inspiring. I applaud Patsy’s determination, courage, inventiveness and work ethic, but have difficulty forgiving her for leaving her child in Jamaica. Her guilt at this no-win choice is palpable and heart-wrenching. Her inability to deal with the very real results of her decision made me want to shake her. And then, I would feel so sorry for her – for the difficulty she faced when her dream was proved to be just that, a dream with no real basis in reality, for her struggles to survive, to find housing and work, for her misguided attempts to find even a little happiness and a sense of self-worth.
Dennis-Benn alternates points of view giving the reader insight into Tru’s life back in Jamaica. Her inability to understand how her mother could leave her, the sliver of hope a Christmas card conveys, and the defeat she feels when she finally accepts that her mother is not coming back. , My heart breaks over and over for Tru as she grows to her teens and hides her pain and sense of responsibility for her mother’s decisions.
But lest you think this is a depressing story, be aware that I loved these characters, even though I didn’t always like them. Despite all the hardship, all the bad decisions and failures to communicate, ultimately there is some triumph and some sense of hope.
Sharon Gordon does a marvelous job of voicing the audiobook. Dennis-Benn uses a vernacular patois dialogue in much of the book, and I found it difficult to make out the sense in those few sections that I chose to read in text format. Gordon’s performance made it easier for me to absorb and understand those lilting Jamaican accents. She really brought these characters to life for me.
bibliothalia's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
joannemiro1948's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
abrooklynbookshelf's review
3.0
as a queer jamaican who spends a lot of time thinking about mother/daughter relationships, i wanted to love this book so much. it’s a book i’ve been excited about for so long, but unfortunately i found that i just wasn’t excited while reading it. it often felt cheesy, a little melodramatic, and too long. by the end, i was kind of just waiting for it to be over.
while reading patsy, i was always so cognizant of the fact that i was reading a story, a work of fiction. it felt like there was so much exposition, so much tell and not much show. i didn’t feel like the relationships had any depth or were believeable. everything felt very surface level, and even major moments were passed over in one paragraph or a matter of pages. i went in so ready to fall into a story and found that it kept me at arm’s length the entire time.
i did think a lot about the patois while i was reading. i do wonder what about the experience of this book is different for someone who is not familiar with patois, and if that changes the perception of what the relationships between characters feels like. i also wondered a lot about how i subconsciously experienced this book as someone for whom patois is a very familiar language, but while also recognizing that this is actually the first time i’ve ever extensively read anything in patois.
patsy had so much potential, and i think if it had gone deeper rather than stretching wider it would have been so much more successful. glad i read it, but more than a bit sad about my feelings toward it.
while reading patsy, i was always so cognizant of the fact that i was reading a story, a work of fiction. it felt like there was so much exposition, so much tell and not much show. i didn’t feel like the relationships had any depth or were believeable. everything felt very surface level, and even major moments were passed over in one paragraph or a matter of pages. i went in so ready to fall into a story and found that it kept me at arm’s length the entire time.
i did think a lot about the patois while i was reading. i do wonder what about the experience of this book is different for someone who is not familiar with patois, and if that changes the perception of what the relationships between characters feels like. i also wondered a lot about how i subconsciously experienced this book as someone for whom patois is a very familiar language, but while also recognizing that this is actually the first time i’ve ever extensively read anything in patois.
patsy had so much potential, and i think if it had gone deeper rather than stretching wider it would have been so much more successful. glad i read it, but more than a bit sad about my feelings toward it.
nefariousbee's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
slow-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
5.0
this was such a surprise. I picked it almost randomly for a reading challenge and it grabbed me by the heart and squeezed until my chest hurt before I could realize what was happening.
I ugly cried. I relate to Patsy and Cicely's story and seeing the culmination broke something in me. my heart doesn't let go either. and this was a very painful reminder of that.
above all, this books is so honest about so many *ugly* things. the reality of being undocumented, the illusion of ingrained motherhood, the social pressure on queerness. I appreciate the book for all of that so much.
it's not an easy read, but it's one that stays with you.
I ugly cried. I relate to Patsy and Cicely's story and seeing the culmination broke something in me. my heart doesn't let go either. and this was a very painful reminder of that.
above all, this books is so honest about so many *ugly* things. the reality of being undocumented, the illusion of ingrained motherhood, the social pressure on queerness. I appreciate the book for all of that so much.
it's not an easy read, but it's one that stays with you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Pedophilia, Blood, Racial slurs, Transphobia, Abandonment, Classism, Death, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Blood, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Sexual content
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Deportation, Drug use, Gun violence, and Police brutality