Songs of Irie

I just finished Songs of Irie by Asha Bromfield and here are my musings.

Irie has one talent... She sings and the whole world stops. It's what she has that gets her through the day in 1976 Jamaica. The whole country is in a state of unrest and the streets are not safe. Irie lives in the heart of Kingston and her best friend, in the hills where the mansions are. Their joint love of reggae music created an unbreakable bond.

The tension in the streets makes life harder for both girls but as their love for each other blooms from friendship to something much deeper, the girls must try and navigate their lives in a world that is exploding around them.

This was an interesting read. It started out a little hard to wrap my head around with how the language was laid out but I got used to it fast and I really got into the groove with it. The slow start was worth it though because once it hit its stride it didn't stop bringing the magic. You could really feel the horrors of what it must have felt like in Jamaica during the upheaval of the election during that time. People were taking to the streets and when Irie lost someone she cared about, it was tangible. I liked Irie right from the get go. I found her relationship with Jilly to be so beautiful and sweet, it really was a tragedy that they couldn't be together in the way they wanted to.

The book built a really powerful atmosphere, you could almost smell the pot and feel the reggae reverbing through your soul. The book was really well researched and as far as historical fictions go, it really hit the mark for me. If you are looking for a YA set in the past, this has to be your next read. It's powerful and uplifting with some of the best writing I have seen this year.

4.5 stars.

Thank you @wednesdaybooks for my gifted copy

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