Patsy grew up in the shadow of her best friend Cicely, coming of age in an impoverished Jamaican town and learning about her own sexuality. When Cicely moves to America, Patsy decides to join her and create a life with her that they would not have been able to live in Jamaica...a decision that does not include Patsy's young daughter Tru. The novel alternates between Patsy's life as an undocumented immigrant in New York City and Tru's childhood in Jamaica, motherless and struggling with her own identity, following the two for over a decade as they learn difficult lessons about themselves, find new joys they never anticipated, and try to find a resolution in their estrangement.
Patsy was a sweeping novel, full of so much tenderness I was left feeling breathless by the end. Dennis-Benn develops complicated characters, most of whom were never dealt a fair hand in life, and it was brilliant to follow them all on their journeys over the course of the novel. Sharon Gordon narrates the audio, reading in a lilting Jamaican cadence that really put me right into the story. I loved Dennis-Benn's first book, Here Comes the Sun (2016), and am so happy that Patsy followed up as another powerhouse of a novel. I can't wait to see where she takes us next.
No comments:
Post a Comment