Here Comes the Sun: A Novel

Loved this. Learnt a bunch of new words. I like the way she writes and I’m Jamaican 😂 I could imagine the places she spoke about in the book and it made things make sense in my head.

I'm listening to the Audible version. Love the book/story, but the narrator is clearly not a Jamaican. The fake patois accent is jarring and terrible (and I say this as a Jamaican). There are no shortage of Jamaicans who could have narrated (as the author used for her other book, Patsy) this book to make the characters sound more authentic. The pronunciations and intonations are off. TL; DR: If you're Jamaican (or any Carib) and don't want to be upset by the horrible accents, buy the book, not the audio version.

This story of a poor Jamaican family struggling to make ends meet begins beautifully but falls apart in this debut effort by Nicole Dennis-Benn. Dennis-Benn certainly has a talent for lush detail - you can almost see the ocean glistening and feel the dusty ground under your feet as you read - and creates very promising characters (larger than life single mother, Delores; older daughter Margot, ambitious but damaged; naive baby of the family, Thandi, burdened by her status as the golden child and desperate for love). These protagonists and their relationships don't hold up well as the plot unfolds, becoming brittle and flat as paper dolls. Despite a VERY busy narrative, there's no growth or change in these women; they end the same way as they began. The plot suffers from too much ambition. A variety of (unsuccessful) love stories fade in and out of focus. The family's back story, which is the foundation upon which the novel stands, begs for deeper attention; although there are plenty of plot points related to the deep dysfunction and bitterness that dominates the home, there's almost nothing in the way of successful resolutions, meaningful revelations or found insights within the characters themselves - they end as they began. And then there's the whole weather theme, with the hot sun and a record drought that pops up time and again; obviously, Dennis-Benn wanted the weather to be a key theme and indicator of the emotional tenor of the narrative (why else title it Here Comes the Sun?), but she doesn't consistently or successfully link this theme to the plot in any kind of meaningful way. My final issue with this book is its representation of the people themselves. Nearly everyone (save Maxi and Charles) is either craven and amoral or voiceless and victimized.; sometimes, they're all four. Sexual exploitation and violence dominates at every turn. Dennis-Benn drives home the point time and again that the people of the community she creates are both obsessed with and repulsed by sex and sexuality, especially when it comes to homosexuality, and that this obsession has poisoned the community and eventually brings about its destruction. In the end, Dennis-Benn offers us characters and communities that have no redeeming qualities. Even worse, her approach reinforces long held racial stereotypes of black women, black men, and white men. I had to keep returning to the author's bio, which says she was born and raised in Jamaica. She certainly has a number of axes to grind with her native culture and her fellow citizens. I was excited to read this book and found it an engaging read for the first half. But as the book comes to its culmination and then begins to wind down, Dennis-Benn stumbles badly: the denouement fails to hit the mark, far too many relationships and themes introduced throughout the text never return, and the explosive tensions at the heart of the story either remain unresolved or just slip away, which was most unsatisfying. Sadly disappointing.

Such an unsettling novel portraying the misogyny and homophobia in Jamaica. It is shocking to read about the white male power structure in the tourist industry and how abusive it is to the women of the island. It is equally shocking to see how the women treat one another and underlying so much of this is a religion that teaches hatred and fear. I only hope Jamaica can find its way out of this awful cycle of hatred and poverty to really come out into the sunshine. What an excellently written book! It was hard to put it down.

Such a beautifully written and dynamic story!

Totally superb use of words and emotions. Completely revealing story of life in Jamaica for the women as the main characters. I was spellbound. My disappointment is all my fault in that my hope is always for a happy, neatly tied up ending...life does not work that way in reality. False belief in fantasy on my part; not the author's error. This is literature.

This novel is stunning. It's narrated by four female characters, each one lifelike and compelling. The language immerses you in the setting: a small town in Jamaica in the 90s. Each of these four women fight for the agency that they have not been granted. They try to understand what they want, and reach for it, but struggle under the influence of their pasts and forces outside of their control (rape culture, the patriarchy, racism, colorism, classism). This story will stay with me for a long time.

The island of Jamaica is as much a character in this wonderful book as the people who inhabit the story. Margot, Thani and Verdeen are well-developed characters, sympathetic but flawed too. The ending did seem a bit abrupt, and it is not a HEA. The cost of ambition and putting material rewards over personal relationships.

A história é maravilhosa e em meu perfil na plataforma GoodReaders eu faço uma maior descrição sobre o enredo. A única falha do livro, foi a qualidade da sua impressão e composição. As páginas do livro são muito frágeis e cm o tempo irão amarelar com muita facilidade. Eu acredito, e não tenho o conhecimento necessário para afirmar com certeza, que as páginas foram impressas num papel reciclado ou que lembra muito um papel que sofreu reciclagem. Se de fato isso for verdade, é uma boa iniciativa para o meio ambiente, mas péssima em termos de preservação do livro. Para leitores como eu, que gostam de conservar seus livros e tê-los por longos anos, um material desse tipo irá ser extremamente frustrante. O que me faz desejar comprar a versão capa dura para comparar a qualidade da folha utilizada na impressão, mas então eu olho para o preço e desisto. Outra coisa, o preço é um absurdo. Para qualquer versão desse livro, mesmo o formato kindle é extremamente caro. Com a qualidade do papel na versão comum um poderia pensar que o valor seria mais acessível. Enfim...5 estrelas pela história, somente.

Easily read, intriguing and enticing story. Great piece of working class writing that sheds light on lifestyles that would be generally unheard of

Loved the book. Could have read it for another 1000 pages.

I haven’t finished reading it yet but thus far I’m enjoying it a lot. Remarkable prose and a refreshing change from the pale male and stale authors I grew up with.

I loved this book. Loved the writing style which was so vivid and the characters were so true to life. It raises some serious issues around Caribbean tourism and the position of women in countries like Jamaica, where the story is set.