Reviews with content warning for Xenophobia - Scarborough

Title: Scarborough
Author: Catherine Hernandez
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.75
Pub Date: May 22, 2017

T H R E E • W O R D S

Tender • Necessary • Authentic

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Scarborough is a real-life, low-income and culturally diverse neighbourhood east of Toronto, that suffers from high rates of poverty, drugs, crime, and urban blight. Told from multiple perspectives Scarborough tells a fictionalized coming-of-age account of three young children, and the tight-knit community leaning on one another in an attempt to rise above aversity and discrimination.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Of the five contenders for Canada Reads 2022, Scarborough was the last one I picked up. And I must say I was absolutely blown away by it. In fact, I was amazed by the quality of this year's Canada Reads shortlist in general, as well as the fascinating debates, which took place from March 28 - 31.

Back to the book, this is another heavy hitting Canada Reads finalist where the structure gave me a front row seat into the minds of each character, thus allowing me to understand the workings of the mind on both an individual and collective level. Told over the span of a year, it was a coming-of-age story but also a story of community, or coming together through the most difficult of circumstances.

Catherine Hernandez writes with such grace, and paints the scene so vividly there's no need to have an awareness of the area of Scarborough ahead of time. In fact, the conditions, the themes and the experiences she explores in this book are so real, and apply to so many different low-income communities across Canada, and the world. Systemic discrimination is so real, and we as a society often turn a blind eye.

Written primarily from a youth perspective, something I greatly appreciated, really opened my eyes to societal issues from the eyes of a child. How they are forced to grow up quickly or take on rolls no child should have to. And yet, I cannot talk about this book without mentioning Ms. Hina. She was a ray of light from start to finish, attempting to create a safe space for the kids and their families. Every impoverished community, need 1000 people like her, willing to risk their personal security to help those less fortunate.

Scarborough is filled with so much human ugliness, but there's also an undercurrent of love and connection. There were moments I felt so ashamed of humanity and in the next moment I'd be overcome with love for humanity. The array of emotion felt so human. There were tears and there was laughter. There was heartbreak and there was joy. Bing, brought so much light and joy to my time with this book. His evolution was absolutely beautiful to watch unfold.

It did not surprise me to learn Catherine Hernandez is a screenwriter, as this book read very much like a script. My only criticism would be that I wanted so much more of these characters, something the writing style didn't allow for.

I'll definitely be keeping my eyes out for whatever Catherine Hernandez writes next, she's just brilliant! Please, do yourself a favourite and pick this book up. It is my hope that it can spark change and that there are a million other Ms. Hina's out there. I've since learned it has been adapted for TV, and I'd be interested in checking out.

Now that I've completed this year's shortlist, I hope to pick up some contenders from past years, and continue exploring the 2022 longlist selections as well.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• all Canadians
• readers who like realistic fiction
• social workers/case workers/policy makers... the list goes on and on

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"'You will never be too much. You will never be too little, Bernard. You be you.' My heart fluttered hearing her says that."

Content Warnings

abigailcook's review against another edition

Go to review page

reflective slow-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Content Warnings

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