Scan barcode
A review by alanabenjamin
Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn
5.0
One of my favorite fiction reads of 2019. The author gives a unique and multilayered take on the West Indian US immigrant experience through impeccable character development and storytelling. People know this story on a superficial surface level but the author takes the reader through a journey where you fall deeper and deeper into the internal lives of the characters and end up on the side of empathy and grace.
Patsy grew up in an impoverished small town in Jamaica. Through the mistakes and misfortunes of her mother and herself, she felt the only way to 'do right' by her little daughter, Tru, was to illegally immigrate to the US. Encouraged by her childhood friend, Cicely, she makes her great escape to New York and realises fast that life is much different than she anticipated, while Tru struggles to make sense of her feelings of abandonment by her mother.
The author gave us a very nuanced depiction of characters that are stereotyped in everyday life. The story felt so familiar to met yet so foreign. As the story progressed, I was rooting so hard for the wellbeing of the characters. This story expertly illustrates motherhood, sexuality and the quest for ‘betterment of oneself’ situation. It is also a very telling commentary on how policy gaps and failures by Caribbean governments are leaving behind their most vulnerable citizens. This book is an absolute must-read. I couldn’t get enough of this story and I especially loved the closure at the end.
Patsy grew up in an impoverished small town in Jamaica. Through the mistakes and misfortunes of her mother and herself, she felt the only way to 'do right' by her little daughter, Tru, was to illegally immigrate to the US. Encouraged by her childhood friend, Cicely, she makes her great escape to New York and realises fast that life is much different than she anticipated, while Tru struggles to make sense of her feelings of abandonment by her mother.
The author gave us a very nuanced depiction of characters that are stereotyped in everyday life. The story felt so familiar to met yet so foreign. As the story progressed, I was rooting so hard for the wellbeing of the characters. This story expertly illustrates motherhood, sexuality and the quest for ‘betterment of oneself’ situation. It is also a very telling commentary on how policy gaps and failures by Caribbean governments are leaving behind their most vulnerable citizens. This book is an absolute must-read. I couldn’t get enough of this story and I especially loved the closure at the end.