By Tiffany Miller
The beautiful, bold, green cover art of this book caught my attention immediately. The cover blurb described it as a book about an immigrant Jamaican Torontonian overcoming the grief of losing her twin sister, but this novel was about way more than grief: it was about sisterly love, family, womanhood, becoming, and the complexity of finding yourself in a world full of expectations.
The protagonist, Jade, finds herself trapped in a rut of grief following the untimely death of her sister. Underneath Jade’s grief is a layer of internalized oppression and a track record of “safe,” risk averse relationships and behaviour. While in the beginning Jade is paralyzed by the anxiety of navigating life without her sister, this story is truly about learning to overcome your fears and discover your true self.
What I loved most about this book was following Jade along on her emotional journey. It was a pleasure to watch her find the courage to be vulnerable, to reconnect with a past love, to explore new relationships, and to learn to love travelling alone. I also enjoyed the secondary characters in this book. They were real and hilarious, and this story left me with a pleasant vibe of having just come home from a life-changing weekend with my bestest friends. I appreciated all of the 90s pop culture references and enjoyed the nostalgia of revisiting TV shows, movies, and song lyrics from my own coming of age.
Finally, I loved reading a book that took place in Toronto, a city that I’m familiar with but have never lived in. It gave me a new view of the city from the lens of a person with a different experience of Canada than my own.
I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys stories about women empowering other women. It was an easy read about real-life problems, and you will enjoy every moment of watching Jade emerge and find strength, confidence, and her community and friendships.
Thank you to Dundurn Press for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.