Scan barcode
A review by lepasseportlitteraire
Et d'un seul bras, la soeur balaie sa maison by Cherie Jones
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Welcome to the « paradise » island of Barbados, where women are destined to suffer by the visible hand of men and the less visible yet heavy one of patriarchy and interiorized misogyny.
⚠️ This book will bring great suffering upon you, and it’s full of triggers (like, all of the triggers you can think of, it got ‘em) ⚠️
The author brings us in the life of Lala, a young women around her twenties, living with her husband and newborn baby. Since the very beginning, it’s made clear that Lala’s life has never been and never will be easy. In addition to Lala’s history, you’ll also be brought in the life of her mother and grandmother, going through three generation of abuse, violence and injustice.
This debut novel by Cherie Jones is difficult to read, and while I rarely crying while reading books, this one brought me on the verge of tears since page one. At some points, it felt like too much: too much suffering, too much abuse for just one family. Yet, it does highlight how abusive and misogynistic schemes of thinking and behaving endure generations, and how violence is passed onto new generations as if it was a genetic disease.
In terms of characters, I loved following multiple points of view (I always do), even if in this case I was NOT looking forward to read Adan segments as I have hated him with all of my heart and strongly wishing for his death.
⚠️ This book will bring great suffering upon you, and it’s full of triggers (like, all of the triggers you can think of, it got ‘em) ⚠️
The author brings us in the life of Lala, a young women around her twenties, living with her husband and newborn baby. Since the very beginning, it’s made clear that Lala’s life has never been and never will be easy. In addition to Lala’s history, you’ll also be brought in the life of her mother and grandmother, going through three generation of abuse, violence and injustice.
This debut novel by Cherie Jones is difficult to read, and while I rarely crying while reading books, this one brought me on the verge of tears since page one. At some points, it felt like too much: too much suffering, too much abuse for just one family. Yet, it does highlight how abusive and misogynistic schemes of thinking and behaving endure generations, and how violence is passed onto new generations as if it was a genetic disease.
In terms of characters, I loved following multiple points of view (I always do), even if in this case I was NOT looking forward to read Adan segments as I have hated him with all of my heart and strongly wishing for his death.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Rape, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment