by Andrea Levy
First published 1999
Faith Jackson thinks she has everything sorted. She secures a television job and finds what seems like the ideal flatshare in London. Both turn out less perfect than expected. Her family relationships prove equally complicated, despite their deep affection for each other. When her parents abruptly decide to retire to Jamaica, Faith feels angry and confused. She decides to make her own trip to the island. There she meets her aunt Coral, who immediately wraps Faith in endless stories about their family's past. Through Coral's tales, Faith discovers a sprawling network of relatives whose lives stretched across Cuba and Panama, Harlem and Scotland. The stories reveal how her family's history spans continents and generations. Faith must navigate between her London life and this newly revealed heritage, finding her place within both worlds.
Genres: literary-fiction, family-life, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Cuba, Harlem, Jamaica, London, Panama, Scotland
Period: 21st-century
339 pages · Paperback · Headline Book Pubishing, Limited