A review by donnakay
Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

We are forever getting more than we can bare. Always. It's just that we don't have a choice in the matter."" 

This is a book about Betty, a widowed mom of one who is doing her best to raise her son, Solo, independently. One of her colleagues, Mr Cheatam, moves in, and the three of them, in turn, create their own family unit. This book is not about love and family in the traditional sense but explores the companionable relationships we form with others and how much they can mean as much to us as any blood relations. #readcaribbean

None of the characters in this book were perfect, which further helped to highlight their humanity and the complications of life. That aside, I can't tell you how many times I wanted someone to give Solo a proper Caribbean cut-ass! I kept watching the page and wondering who the hell he was really talking too! 😂. On the flip side of that, Betty wasn't always right in her head either. She definitely  got a few side eyes from me, especially with her dating life. Mr Cheatam was also a fav, and his storyline helped to highlight the strives we still need to make to on a societal level.  

The story was engaging from cover to cover, and even though it dealt with many heavy topics on page (check the trigger warnings), I also found myself laughing out loud quite a few times. I'm not sure if it was the authenticity of hearing my own dialect in some of the situations in the novel,  but the expression continuously brought joy to my heart. There were several instances during this book that I got flash backs to some of my childhood neighbors and thought about how well they would fit in with the crowd in this story. I loved all the cultural references,  and I'm happy that the author did not choose to explain every single cultural nuance for those who may not be as personally familiar with every cultural reference.