Frying Plantain
Ratings4
Average rating3.8
15
Ratings4
Average rating3.8
'This is the book I've been waiting to read my entire life on the diasporic Caribbean experience. The writing is sharp, intelligent and everything you'd expect from a talented Jamaican writer. I honestly love this book' Symeon Brown 'Frying Plantain is every bit as delicious as the title suggests' Candice Carty-Williams, author of Queenie In her brilliantly incisive debut, Zalika Reid-Benta artfully depicts the tensions between mothers and daughters, second-generation immigrants and first-generation cultural expectations, and Black identity and predominately white society. Kara Davis is a girl caught in the middle of her Canadian nationality and her desire to be a 'true' Jamaican, of her mother and grandmother's rages and life lessons, of having to avoid being thought of as too 'faas' or too 'quiet' or too 'bold' or too 'soft'. Set in Toronto's 'Little Jamaica', Kara moves from girlhood to the threshold of adulthood, from elementary school to high school graduation, in these twelve interconnected stories. A rich and unforgettable portrait of growing up between worlds, Frying Plantain shows how, in one charged moment, friendship and love can turn to enmity and hate, well-meaning protection can become control, and teasing play can turn to something much darker. A must-read and the perfect gift for fans of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Jamaica Kincaid and Zadie Smith.
Reviews with the most likes.
Solid little collection of stories that take you from Kara's childhood to her early adulthood. I liked the way Kara evolved and how nuanced everything was. By the end I was really loathe to part way with her.
The characters often use Patois (though it's easy enough to understand what they say), if you're the kind of reader who gets upset about that stuff this one might not be for you.
Super interesting and well written exploration of dysfunctional family relationships and the challenges of growing up between cultures. My only critique is that it felt like there was really no growth or change with the family members so it ended up feeling a little bleak.
