kikireads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
My heart 😭. Home Home is a sliver of a first person narrative about almost 15 year old Kayla whose mother sends her to Canada to stay with her aunt after a suicide attempt. Another treasure gifted to us with the help of the CODE Burt Award, this is the frankest, most detailed portrayal of a mental illness in a Black Caribbean teen I've ever read.
As short as it was, the simple, clear 1st person narration forged an instant connection between me and the protagonist. Amongst that the author still complicated the other characters wonderfully, from our gorgeous interracial (Black + South Asian) lesbian mothers to rigid Cynthia. There is more to everyone than the obvious and I wanted to tug on those threads to get more, especially about Julie and her obsessive cleaning...
Allen-Agostino included a multitude of topics including mental illness and healthcare with kids *and* adults; queer love + queer families; the inequitable, segregated colonial school system; colourism; teen pregnancy; religion; human trafficking...mi probably left something out.
At the centre of it all is Kayla. I loved that she was allowed to be ordinary. Even as others limited prejudices around mental illness impacted her, she too had her own misconceptions to unlearn about others. I loved that Allen-Agostino took her to a place where, faced with the possibility of returning to a more unsupportive environment in Trinidad, it would be harder for her but she would still be okay.
I need a Kayla update! I'm dead curious about the US edition in which the author may have expanded on the Cynthia-Kayla relationship.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcoholism
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