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A review by erincampbell87
Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphanie Yanique
3.0
The book was teased as magical realism, and it certainly is. But there was less of the mystical element than I'd hoped. I was left wanting much more background about the characters who were touched by magic - the book really only touches on and hints at how they became that way, and the connection between the magical touches they each display seems loose and kind of thrown together. The story follows the muddled lives of two sisters, born as their homeland is becoming a United States territory. Gradually, this transfer sets the stage for other questions of loss, belonging and lack of ownership that mark their lives as the narrative follows them into adulthood and tracks the historical context surrounding them and the land they call home as the cultural, political and socio-economic landscape around them changes.
Anette, the youngest daughter whose birth was unplanned and unwanted, has the most vibrant voice and, it becomes clear, the most honest. She becomes the only trustworthy narrator. Her chapters are written in dialect and she seems the most clearly connected to the Virgin Islands themselves, both informed and independent of the land and the culture that made her.
The old wives' predictions and interjections of wisdom are also beautiful parts of the narrative. Some of the best parts of the book describe the Transfer Day and other cultural and historical aspects of the Virgin Island's history.
Rebekah, the girls' father's mistress who has left hints of her mystical powers in the girls' bloodline, is a shadow of a character who is built up to seem like she'll have a lot more influence on the narrative. But her influence and plot line drop from significance toward the middle and hurriedly reintroduced at the end in a way that was disappointingly lacking imagination and depth. I wish the mystical elements were handled less casually and wound through the narrative with a greater sense of purpose. The fables and folktales the girls tell each other growing up, that Eeona tells her nieces, hint at larger, more important plot points, but they always feel rushed and kind of clumsily handled in the midst of so many other moving parts within the novel. The folktales told the history of their mother's mysterious homeland, Anegada, but it was never made clear how Rebekah fit into this place or was connected to the magic from that land. I wish the book had done more to tie the magical Anegada to Rebekah's mystical black magic, or explain how the connection between Rebekah and the girls' mother only started with their shared man and extended to their mystical origins.
I'm still interested in reading Yanique's short stories because she does such a wonderful job of crafting rich settings and places that much of this whole book read like short scene studies within a larger narrative. I think her writing style would translate well over shorter stories, but became somewhat convoluted in longer form.
Anette, the youngest daughter whose birth was unplanned and unwanted, has the most vibrant voice and, it becomes clear, the most honest. She becomes the only trustworthy narrator. Her chapters are written in dialect and she seems the most clearly connected to the Virgin Islands themselves, both informed and independent of the land and the culture that made her.
The old wives' predictions and interjections of wisdom are also beautiful parts of the narrative. Some of the best parts of the book describe the Transfer Day and other cultural and historical aspects of the Virgin Island's history.
Rebekah, the girls' father's mistress who has left hints of her mystical powers in the girls' bloodline, is a shadow of a character who is built up to seem like she'll have a lot more influence on the narrative. But her influence and plot line drop from significance toward the middle and hurriedly reintroduced at the end in a way that was disappointingly lacking imagination and depth. I wish the mystical elements were handled less casually and wound through the narrative with a greater sense of purpose. The fables and folktales the girls tell each other growing up, that Eeona tells her nieces, hint at larger, more important plot points, but they always feel rushed and kind of clumsily handled in the midst of so many other moving parts within the novel. The folktales told the history of their mother's mysterious homeland, Anegada, but it was never made clear how Rebekah fit into this place or was connected to the magic from that land. I wish the book had done more to tie the magical Anegada to Rebekah's mystical black magic, or explain how the connection between Rebekah and the girls' mother only started with their shared man and extended to their mystical origins.
I'm still interested in reading Yanique's short stories because she does such a wonderful job of crafting rich settings and places that much of this whole book read like short scene studies within a larger narrative. I think her writing style would translate well over shorter stories, but became somewhat convoluted in longer form.