January 1, 2017
Not a sequel to the Costa Book Award short-listed author's previous works, this novel is instead part of an interlinked trilogy that examines the racial and social dynamics of postcolonial Jamaica via familial, economic, and romantic relationships. Following Pao and Gloria, it explores the experiences of half-black, half-Chinese Fay Wong, who is plagued by an abusive mother and passive father. Her existence is one of privilege; she attends a mostly white Catholic school, and her family, rich by Jamaican standards, lives in a lavish mansion on the exclusive Lady Musgrave Road. When Fay meets Beverley Chung, she begins an important self-exploration, dancing, dating, and learning the history of Jamaican oppression and division. She learns more after her forced marriage to the Chinese Yang Pao, who is part of the criminal underworld. Though the plot is interesting, the novel's characters are what make it a splendid read. Fay plays innocent when she often is not, Beverley is selfish but very kind, and Fay's mother is often brutal yet harbors her own hurt. VERDICT Like Lalita Tademy's Cane River, this novel will appeal to readers of historical and Caribbean fiction.--Ashanti White, Fayetteville, NC
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