First published 2024
Jamaica Kincaid confronts the reality of her brother Devon Drew's final days. At thirty-three, Devon lies dying of AIDS in Antigua while Kincaid travels from her home to be with him. She watches his body fail and reflects on the distance that grew between them over the years. Their mother dominates the family dynamics, her presence both nurturing and oppressive. Kincaid examines Devon's choices and struggles, including his battle with addiction and his sexuality in a place where both carried heavy costs. She recalls their shared childhood on the island and how their paths diverged so dramatically. The family gathers around Devon's bedside, each member carrying their own complicated feelings about his life and approaching death. Kincaid refuses to romanticize either Devon's suffering or their relationship. She writes with brutal honesty about family love, disappointment, and the weight of unspoken truths. This becomes both a farewell to her brother and an examination of how families shape and sometimes damage each other.
Genres: african-american, biography-memoir, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-drama, grief
Setting: Antigua
Period: 21st-century
208 pages · Paperback · Picador Paper
Content warnings: addiction, death, terminal-illness