In this radiant, highly anticipated debut, a cast of unforgettable women battle for independence while a maelstrom of change threatens their Jamaican village. Capturing the distinct rhythms of Jamaican life and dialect, Nicole Dennis- Benn pens a tender hymn to a world hidden among pristine beaches and the wide expanse of turquoise seas. At an opulent resort in Montego Bay, Margot hustles to send her younger sister, Thandi, to school. Taught as a girl to trade her sexuality for survival, Margot is ruthlessly determined to shield Thandi from the same fate. When plans for a new hotel threaten their village, Margot sees not only an opportunity for her own financial independence but also perhaps a chance to admit a shocking secret: her forbidden love for another woman.…
"Oh, I don’t know! I just think of it as a very Caribbean, savvy title! There are three female narrators in this novel about women who want—who have—these desires, but so much is being pushed up against them. One of the characters desires to be with a woman; another, her sister, yearns to have lighter skin because Jamaican culture tends to value European beauty; another character, the mother, has all of these wants for her daughters and upward mobility for herself, but her desires are misplaced. It’s a harrowing novel about women doing their best but unfortunately, because of their circumstances, that might not be good enough. Ah, yes, the myth of the ‘one love’ Jamaica. Emotionally, as a Jamaican reader, all of the exploitation in the novel was really hard to read, because it felt that many of the characters were willing to step on another person’s back to get what they want. Much of the novel is set at a beach resort with plans to expand, which is an ideal place to dispel the myth. The writing is beautiful—the language of the book is impressive and the relationships are really well manoeuvred. Thematically it’s a muscular book. I especially appreciated how Dennis-Benn explores Caribbean sexuality—what does it mean to live in the Caribbean as a queer woman? That narrative thread is compelling, moving and important. I’m very interested in female sexuality—sex-positive female sexuality—which is reflected in the books I’ve chosen. Lucy and this book are the most obvious examples; the female characters are learning and acting on their own desires. But there’s obviously other sides to this too: the shaming, or the non-consensual side, which in the Caribbean is strong, as girls are sexualized very young. Caribbean culture is confusing in that we have dance hall and our culture can be very hyper-sexualized in some ways, but in other ways, there is a lot of control around the female body."
