I was so excited to review this new novel by Lisa Smith. To be transparent I am Jamaican so this book was right up my alley. It has everything I like in the Jamaican-British story. Set in the early 80s, we meet Daphne (British born) as she tries to navigate growing up and attending a school where the other kids are not too nice. Added to this daily stress are the racial tensions that we all know run through the veins of the master colonizers. Then in comes Connie, a tall, lanky Plimsoll wearing transplant from Jamaica with a family secret.
Some may have difficulty with the dialogue which was music to my ears. So often Caribbean authors especially from Jamaica are forced to anglicize their work (native dialect) to satisfy the "western" market. I just hope that the audiobook has an actual Jamaican or Jamaican-Brit do the narration. Can you image the 80's reggae soundtrack that would accompany this book?
Smith's Jamaica Road is emotional, evocative, immersive and transformative coming of age tale. It was an excellent read.
Thank you to #NetGalley, the author Lisa Smith and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf for a digital copy of #JamaicaRoad exchange for my honest opinion. Jamaica Road will be published on July 15, 2025.
No comments:
Post a Comment