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A review by bookishevy
The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
"If the two of all you don’t stop all you nastiness, you go eat the bread the devil knead."
In Trinidad & Tobago, when we say someone will "eat de bread de devil knead" it means they'll experience hard times.
Alethea Lopez has been eating it all of her life. She's the almost 40-year-old, bookish manager of a boutique in Port-of-Spain, and every she covers up bruises from her abusive common-law husband, Joe, and seeks comfort in an affair with her boss, Bobby. Alethea believes Joe will stop beating her one day, but after witnessing the murder of woman at the hands of a jealous lover, she wonders if that will be her future.
Told in Trini English, this is an engrossing read that includes flashbacks showing how tough Alethea had it as a child and exploring the poverty and generational trauma that shaped her and the colorism that gave her opportunities she wouldn't have if she didnt look white. All Alethea knew was "licks" growing up. Now, she's in a hopeless situation with Joe. No friends or family, isolated by design. When two people from her past resurface, so do Alethea's repressed memories of physical, verbal and sexual abuse.
I love how candid Alethea is about her attraction to toxic men and love of sex. Joe has her completely dickmatized. Even though I understood why she normalizes maltreatment and doesn't feel like she has other options than putting up with Joe, despite being presented with new opportunities, it was still frustrating to experience how she acquiesces to his demands. It's like she just accepts her fate. I rooted for her to be the heroine of her story.
What a page-turner. One of the people from Alethea's past comes bearing news that rocks her world. That twist was a gut punch of a revelation that sends her reeling and left me wondering how much more trauma can this woman take? Alethea's turmoil is contrasted with the excitement of the start of the Carnival season that brings with it a new beginning.
I recommend.
In Trinidad & Tobago, when we say someone will "eat de bread de devil knead" it means they'll experience hard times.
Alethea Lopez has been eating it all of her life. She's the almost 40-year-old, bookish manager of a boutique in Port-of-Spain, and every she covers up bruises from her abusive common-law husband, Joe, and seeks comfort in an affair with her boss, Bobby. Alethea believes Joe will stop beating her one day, but after witnessing the murder of woman at the hands of a jealous lover, she wonders if that will be her future.
Told in Trini English, this is an engrossing read that includes flashbacks showing how tough Alethea had it as a child and exploring the poverty and generational trauma that shaped her and the colorism that gave her opportunities she wouldn't have if she didnt look white. All Alethea knew was "licks" growing up. Now, she's in a hopeless situation with Joe. No friends or family, isolated by design. When two people from her past resurface, so do Alethea's repressed memories of physical, verbal and sexual abuse.
I love how candid Alethea is about her attraction to toxic men and love of sex. Joe has her completely dickmatized. Even though I understood why she normalizes maltreatment and doesn't feel like she has other options than putting up with Joe, despite being presented with new opportunities, it was still frustrating to experience how she acquiesces to his demands. It's like she just accepts her fate. I rooted for her to be the heroine of her story.
What a page-turner. One of the people from Alethea's past comes bearing news that rocks her world. That twist was a gut punch of a revelation that sends her reeling and left me wondering how much more trauma can this woman take? Alethea's turmoil is contrasted with the excitement of the start of the Carnival season that brings with it a new beginning.
I recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Rape
Moderate: Racial slurs