Thanks to W.W. Norton for the free advance copy of this book.

When Patsy finally obtains a visa to visit America, she leaves her daughter Tru behind in Jamaica and chases her best friend and former lover Cicely to New York. When Patsy arrives, though, she finds Cicely is a different person than the girl she loved, and Patsy must make her own way in New York as an undocumented immigrant while Tru similarly struggles to find her place in the world.

Oh, my heart. This book broke it a hundred times. Patsy, Tru, and even Cicely are all fighting to be themselves in a world that wants them to conform. They are fighting against overlapping oppressions and decades-old abuses. Each is trying to play the hand they’ve been dealt, with no one to guide them.

Despite all the trials Patsy and Tru endure in this book, it does end on a hopeful note, albeit in a way the still indicates the road won’t always be smooth. But knowing you have someone to lean on who shares at least some portion of your experience can make the future more bearable.