Scan barcode
A review by camilleisreading24
Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphanie Yanique
4.0
This was an interesting read, but different from what I expected. The plot follows one family over approx. 50-60 years while simultaneously tracing the major historical events of the US Virgin Islands. The three children of Owen Arthur Bradshaw, a mixed race ship captain and tradesman, are Eeona, Anette, and his secret illegitimate son, Jacob. All three children are beautiful and cursed. Owen Arthur's love for his firstborn, Eeona, is of a romantic rather than a paternal nature, and it is this 'ill love' which ultimately drowns him in a major shipwreck. The repercussions of his actions reverberate throughout the rest of the novel as Eeona is unable to find romantic love in adulthood. His decision never to recognize his son ultimately leads to an incestuous romance between Jacob and Anette.
If able to overlook the fairly shocking treatment of incest in this narrative, one can enjoy the lyrical prose and interesting story. I thought of this tale more as a myth--after all, Greek mythology gave us tales like Oedipus and often saw siblings marrying each other, and no one seems to find that too shocking. I enjoyed learning a little history of the Virgin Islands, beginning with their acquisition by the US from the Danish in 1917. I thought the story dragged a bit at times but was ultimately a good read.
If able to overlook the fairly shocking treatment of incest in this narrative, one can enjoy the lyrical prose and interesting story. I thought of this tale more as a myth--after all, Greek mythology gave us tales like Oedipus and often saw siblings marrying each other, and no one seems to find that too shocking. I enjoyed learning a little history of the Virgin Islands, beginning with their acquisition by the US from the Danish in 1917. I thought the story dragged a bit at times but was ultimately a good read.