By Christina McLaurine
Content warnings: domestic abuse and violence
My Mother's Daughter is a raw and honest intergenerational story of two-time Olympian Perdita Felicien and her mother, Catherine. Felicien is candid and open in her memoir as she details her mother's life in St. Lucia prior to immigrating to Canada and the struggles and challenges she faced while trying to gain citizenship. Felicien's upbringing, athletic career, and transition into journalism are told in tandem with Catherine's story.
My Mother's Daughter is equal parts inspiring and heartbreaking. Felicien writes, “I came to believe that every single person is a hurdler, even if they don’t know it. While most aren’t sprinting over literal fences, everyone has something to overcome. Sometimes we fall in our attempts, and that’s okay because there is always a reason to pick yourself up and move forward.” Before Felicien even knew what a hurdle was, she was jumping them with her mother. Despite the ill-treatment, abuse, and poverty, Catherine remained determined to make a better life for herself and her children on Canadian soil. Through it all, no matter the hurdle, they were her reason to keep moving forward.
This same tenacity and determination are evident in Felicien’s recount of the 2004 Athens Olympics. Readers will find themselves holding their breaths and at the edge of their seats as Felicien shares her side of the story and the events that unfolded in the aftermath of this pivotal moment in both her life and athletic career. She doesn't shy away from talking about the grief and devastation that followed, as well as her struggle to come to terms and make sense of it all. Felicien proves that she is her mother's daughter as she picked herself up and forges ahead just as her mother had during previous adversities.
Felicien's prose is clear, and the story easy to follow. Told in chronological order, My Mother's Daughter is divided into three parts, allowing the reader to easily situate where they are in Catherine's and Felicien's story. The admiration Felicien feels for her mother is evident on every page. My Mother's Daughter will give readers familiar with Felicien and her quest for Olympic gold a chance to see a different, more intimate side of the former track and field star.
Thank you to Doubleday Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!