How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House
Jones, CherieWealthy tourists flock to the tropical delights of Baxter's Beach, Barbados, but for the locals who never get to leave, life in the 1980s is far from idyllic.
Lala, whose home is a beachside shack, was raised with the cautionary tale of what happens to girls who disobey their mothers, but still the intergenerational trauma continues.
Lala's husband Adan, her grandmother Wilma, her friend and champion Tone; they all tell a different story of this Caribbean paradise, of hardship and violence as the sun shines and the sea sparkles.
Told from a variety of perspectives, this is a powerful and haunting story of paradise lost.
Pages
308
308
Year
2021
2021
Reviews
10-06-2024
Loved the insight into Caribbean culture and parallels to our own bicultural society - different but somehow the same. The generational dysfunctionality of families, the hopelessness, superstition, acceptance of violence, and fear which prevents seeking help are strong themes, presented in wonderful lyrical language.
20-05-2024
Not an enjoyable book but one that we all thought worth reading. We found it very confronting, honest and authentic, easy to read once we got used to the vernacular. Lala's chapter on "How do you learn to love a man", listing all the types of violence she experiences, was extremely powerful and moving. Not a book that would encourage one to visit that part of the world!
29-04-2024
A very thought-provoking book, though graphic and horrifying. Good character portrayal. The book title doesn't indicate the subject matter, and some of us wouldn't have read it but for BookClub, but we are pleased we did. Excellently written ( some did, some didn't enjoy the "pidgin" speech!).
29-04-2024
The group loved this - thought it was very well-written. We can't wait to see what she writes next.
17-04-2024
Great discussion - excellent book.
12-09-2023
The subject matter was challenging. Weak ending. No knowledge gained of the actual culture but was easy to read. Not enjoyed or read by all.
08-02-2023
Very thought provoking read, but also confronting and violent. We didn't regret reading it but are not looking for anything similar in a hurry...