I’m so pleased to be able to tell you about this gorgeous book today, as part of the tour. Thanks so much to Bookouture for the copy of the book and invitation to be part of the tour.
Things between me and Papa are so different to what me and Mum have. It’s been that way since the first day. An invisible bond. Papa was the one who never stopped encouraging me to strive for my goals. ‘Take every opportunity dis country give you, ich mwen,’ he’d always said…
When Yvette receives a call to say her estranged father Joe has been attacked in a seemingly random act of violence, she rushes to his side. She’d stayed with her mother after her parents separated, but never forgot her father’s kind and caring ways. Memories of his wide smile and loving embraces – so different to her mother Doli – have always sustained her.
But when she arrives, ready to make peace and help him in any way she can, she finds a man different to the larger-than-life father she remembers. Joe is fighting for his life, but is also haunted by memories of his past. He begs Yvette to help him find out the truth…
About the journey that brought him and a beautiful young woman called Doli together, as they both travelled – as part of the Windrush Generation, to start new lives in Britain. About the lives they left behind in St Lucia. And about a dark secret – one that he has carried with him since stepping off the ship that wet and chilly August day. That threatened his and Doli’s marriage from the very beginning…
Only Yvette can find out what really happened on that crossing. Because, for forty years, Joe has believed that he killed a man. A man who had had feelings for Doli too. And who – as Joe knows – might hold the key to Yvette’s own story…
What follows is a heart-stopping debut novel about family, identity, secrets, lies, and the journeys that define us. It will grip you, challenge you, and ultimately break you into a thousand pieces. Perfect for fans of Small Island and Girl, Woman, Other.
My Review:
What a beautiful debut novel this is. I was immediately swept up in the story and was totally captivated by it.
Told from several viewpoints and in beautiful dialect, this book feels so authentic and the characters feel as though you know them all personally.
There are many strands to this story, there’s Yvette and her relationship with her father, there’s all the family ties and relationships, and there’s the stories from the past, when Yvette and many members of her family made that long crossing from St. Lucia to England. The strands are all woven together as the book progresses, and come together beautifully at the end.
There is so much to love about this book, it’s heart-breaking at times, uplifting at others, and just so beautifully written. A stunning read about family, about home and about love, I enjoyed it from start to finish and didn’t want it to end.
My Rating:
Author Bio:
Steffanie Edward was born in St Lucia, brought up in London and now straddles between the two.
Anancy, Crick-crick and other Caribbean folk stories have been a part of her life since childhood. In her late teens she enjoyed reading Susan Howatch and books on slavery. Her absolute favourite reads have been Wild Seed by Octavia E Bulter, and Woman At Point Zero by Naawal El Saadawi.
Her writing career started with short stories, five of which have been published. Her first attempt at writing a novel was over twenty years ago, whilst living and working in Abu Dhabi. That novel, Yvette, didn’t make it into print, but the main protagonist, Yvette, has muscled her way into Steffanie’s debut novel, This Other Island.
https://twitter.com/EdwardsaEdward
Buy Links:Amazon: https://bit.ly/3w64Jn5Apple: https://apple.co/3qNJQLdKobo: https://bit.ly/2ZK7CvMGoogle: https://bit.ly/3kgXapi
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