This book follows Kara Davis from elementary school to University. She is Canadian born to a Jamaican mother and Jamaican grandparents. Her mother, a young parent, is overbearing and controlling. Kara struggles to fit in and find her ‘footing.’
Though this is short story collection it didn’t read that way. I loved following Kara as she grew. There were so many complicated relationships throughout this book, mother-daughter, husband-wife, grandparent-granddaughter etc.
This is a typical Caribbean story, immigrant story, coming of age story and i enjoyed it. I found myself chuckling throughout. It is a story that you have definitely heard before or experienced first hand.

Why am i just getting around to reading this?? Jumping on the wagon late as usual, with this being my first Toni Morrison novel. This is one sad, depressing, heavy read, NOTHING is held back. It was deeply moving. I read this in one sitting and havent fully processed it. I'll have to come back to this review.

I dunno who i am reading all these short stories. LOL. Honestly, the name of this book was a bit off putting for me but after seeing many good reviews i decided to take the plunge and was happy i did.
This was a great collection of short stories. Arthurs was able to capture the essence of many a Jamaican in these stories. I loved each and every story! Thats a win in my book.

3.5 stars rounded up. As a thriller lover the pace was too slow in the beginning, but the characters and storyline was so good that i kept going. At about 60% in, the shit starts hitting the fan and the suspense is thick! This was so well done, just the right amount of twists needed for a thriller.
I also loved that the book was centered around the social issues of gentrification of a Brooklyn community and racism. i certainly did a lot of eye rolls. I would love to see this as a movie.

Why did i take so long to read this??
This novel is right up my alley. I love a good thriller. I absolutely needed to know why Alicia Berenson refused to talk and if she had really killed her husband. The pace of the book was just right and the storyline developed timely in my opinion. The surprising ending and twist in the plot made me feel that this is fit for tv adaptation. I knew there was a twist coming but only saw it right before it was about to play out.

"I'm sure plenty people could understand my reason for killing Rachel Hopkins if they knew the truth about her-some might even thank me-but nobody would ever understand why i killed someone i loved so much"

Like hello! This is what you call a murder mystery. This Alice Feeny novel is told from three perspectives, his, hers and the mystery killer. And when i say mystery, i mean, I DID NOT see it coming. I had so many theories as to who the killer was and NONE were correct.

The her in this novel is Anna Andrews a BBC tv presenter and the him is DCI Jack Harper. When a murder happens in their hometown it turns out they both knew the victim. They both know each other... then a bunch of people they both know start getting murdered. Can either of them be trusted???? This novel is filled with twists and turns i guarantee it will be hard to put down!

What the actual f*** did i just read?? Edie is a hot ass MESS! This book made me so uncomfortable, i kept reading with a puzzled look on my face. Whhyyyyyyy would you go live with this man and his wife?! Can you say AWKWARD?
I just could not connect with Edie. She had little to no self worth :( she out in these streets with all kind of baggage. Someone needed to get her some counselling! Its hard being a young, black, poor, parentless woman. This was a tough read.
3.5 stars rounded down for me.

3.5 stars. This wasnt what i was expecting. While each chapter tells a story of someone who is connected to the main character it read more like short stories than one story. Something about multiple perspectives throws me off. Other than that this was a good read. A tale of love, suffering remorse and redemption. I'm now fully committed to immersing myself into Haitis history.

Real life tears