Merle

This rambling little book presents a decent coming-of-age tale of two sisters, but it is disorganized and I found its supposedly wise grandmother figure at best trite and at worst infuriating.

Sisters Dionne (age 16) and Phaedra (10) have grown up in Brooklyn, but when their severely depressed mother realizes she can no longer care for them, they’re off to spend the summer with their grandmother, Hyacinth, in Barbados. It’s hard to describe the plot, because there isn’t much of one: the girls adjust to their new surroundings, become familiar with the community and deal with further developments in their tumultuous family life. All this is interspersed with the author's simply telling us a lot about these people and their histories, in a way that often feels disjointed and rambling, lacking smooth transitions.

Jackson’s characterization does show promise: I found Phaedra, the most prominent character, endearing, and empathized with the pricklier Dionne. Both girls have well-defined personalities, and their relationships with each other and the people around them are believable. Although they aren’t real, I found myself hoping that they would succeed despite their difficult childhood. If the author had shown us more, through a more focused plot, they might have truly shone, but the potential is there.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for their grandmother. Hyacinth is positioned as the moral center of the novel, unlike her troubled daughter and almost cartoonishly villainous son-in-law. But I soured on her within the first couple of chapters. Phaedra goes out to play with a boy who tells her to do something; she refuses, so he grabs a large rock and hurls it at her head, knocking her over. When Phaedra tells Hyacinth she is done with this boy, Hyacinth’s response is: “What did he do to you?” – it can’t be simply that he gave her a concussion, keeping her in bed for days. Telling a young girl that serious assault is not a good enough reason to stop seeing a boy (that’s just how boys behave when they like girls, says Hyacinth) is one of the most irresponsible pieces of advice I can think of. On other occasions, Hyacinth spouts banal advice that is meant to sound deep, often to cover for her own shortcomings (let anyone criticize her and she will take the opportunity to lecture them about not blaming others for their own problems, even when the criticism is warranted).

Finally, the novel would have benefited from more precision in the narration. Some key facts are kept unclear: we’re told the girls have never visited Barbados nor Hyacinth the United States, yet there are several indications they’ve seen each other before. And then there are passages like this, telling us practically nothing: “Vacation Bible School always followed the same schedule: a prayer when they arrived, morning activities, lunch, afternoon activities, and a prayer before dismissal.” I doubt any reader would be surprised to learn that Vacation Bible School includes prayers, nor that the students eat lunch between morning and afternoon activities, whatever those might be.

At any rate, this is a fast read and it seems to be written with knowledge of Barbados and its culture, so for many it may be worth reading. It is the author’s first published novel, and shows potential which she will hopefully continue to develop. But in the meanwhile, there are other coming-of-age novels out there more deserving of your time.