This was my first book by Nicole Dennis-Benn and although I struggled initially to get into the narrative I quickly became absorbed in her beautiful writing style and incredibly nuanced and complex characters. This is a story of family, class, race, and relationships that offers a critical view of the damning effects of tourist industry on the Jamaican people.
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Here Comes the Sun follows the tale of Margot and her much younger sister Thandi and their mother Delores.
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Margot as the older sister has given everything in her life to make a better life for her sister Thandi. She works at the local hotel and is seemingly driven by the need to pay for Thandi's education and eventually achieve a better life for herself. Margot is the main focus of the narrative and one of the most complex characters as we see her internal struggles, her troubled upbringing and the impact this has had on her identity and behaviour. Through Margot, Dennis-Benn also explores ideas of sexuality, examines lesbian relationships, and the homophobia that exists in Jamaica.
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Thandi meanwhile is plagued by the pressures her mum and older sister reap on her to perform at school and go on to become a doctor. She is also conflicted about the dark colour of her skin compared to her upper-class and wealthy classmates. Dennis-Benn uses Thandi's character as a means to to explore ideas of class and colourism, and her storyline made me the most emotional.
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Their mother Delores on the other hand sells crafts and trinkets to tourists and has strong ideals about what she expects from her daughters. Through Delores character we see the harsh realities of Jamaican poverty and the change that has occured over time.
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Not only were the three main women in this story expertly crafted, but Dennis-Benn constructed a rich narrative with intricate stories for all the secondary characters. The speech used reflects the local dialects and inflections and really immersed me in Jamaica. Here Comes the Sun broke my heart a little bit and yet again another novel that will stay with me for some time.