Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - Love After Love

I loved Trinidad & Tobago as a setting. This was my first book set there, and it was lush and detailed - the descriptions of food made my mouth water, the use of Trini Creole added such distinction to the characters’ dialogue and personalities, and Ingrid Persuad did not shy away from including the problems of the islands, such as crime and deeply embedded homophobia, so I could tell how much she loves and cares for her home.
I loved Mr. Cheyna and Betty’s perspective. Solo as a character fell flat for me- his unwillingness to hear his mother’s story was incredibly frustrating, and it didn’t seem to make sense with the way he had been raised by her. The years of distance between Solo and both is mother and Cheyna were devastating. Solo’s story felt hopelessly sad for a good while, and as the book progressed, I was worried there would not be any sort of healing for him.

The big plot twist felt so cruel :/ I think it needed to happen with the way the story was moving but the way it did….WOW. Incredibly hard to read. The ending was also sad, but with a final move that to me, indicated a shared journey of healing.

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lucyatoz's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Meet the Ramdin-Chetan family: forged through loneliness, broken by secrets, saved by love.

The story of Betty Ramdin, her son Solo and their lodger Mr Chetan, is one big hot mess of a story about different forms of love. The unbounding love that is between a Mother and Son, following the death of Husband and Father, who was an abusive alcoholic, and Solo's flight from Trinidad to live with his Uncle and his family in New York. The platonic love that grows between Betty and Mr Chetan, contrasted with his hot, passionate loving of men. The second father relationship of respect and affection between Solo and Mr Chetan, which helps them both as they try to understand their places in two very different societies.

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pkc's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful sad slow-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

4.5

This was a really unique take on a “kitchen sink” style family drama, predominantly set in Trinidad. Even though the country didn’t form an obvious backbone of the story, it did factor in as a character in itself, lending a colour and culture that elevated the tension and levity all at once. Please be warned that this book is so dark in places, but like any good family unit, the darkness is accompanied and sometimes even complemented by truth and the occasional wry observation.

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