Discerner of Hearts

by Olive Senior

The nine vividly rendered stories of place and character in Discerner of Hearts are set in Jamaica, both rural and urban, some present-day, others looking back several decades. Senior’s gift for fine characterization, for recreating the music of everyday speech, pervades these tales, which explore notions of home and exile as well as the intricate realm of the human spirit – its fallible nature, its indomitable strength against the sometimes downward pull of fate.

Genres: Short Stories, Poetry

232 pages, Paperback

Published March 25, 1995

About the author

Olive Senior was born and brought up in Jamaica in 1941 and educated in Jamaica and Canada. She is a graduate of Montego Bay High School and Carleton University, Ottawa.

She is one of Canada's most internationally recognized and acclaimed writers having left Jamaica in 1989, spending some years in Europe and since 1993 being based in Toronto.

Among her many awards and honours she has won the Commonwealth Writers Prize and F.G. Bressani Literary Prize, was nominated for a Governor-General’s Literary Award, and was runner up for the Casa de Las Americas Prize and the Pat Lowther Award. In 2003, she received the Norman Washington Manley Foundation Award for Excellence (preservation of cultural heritage – Jamaica). Her body of published work includes four books of poetry, three collections of short stories and several award-winning non-fiction works on Caribbean culture.

Reviews

[Tawallah · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Summer Lightning has a special place in my heart, this short story collection continues to cement Olive Senior as a good go-to-read. The only story I didn’t like was the titular one but for me the rest of the collection picked up. Senior was able to transport you into the tale. And her dialogue are spot on- the best example, though it is a monologue is that with the indigent female on Lady Musgrave Road( What do you, Miss?). Touching on themes such as class, role of education, class and colorism, Senior beautifully illustrates Jamaica in the rural setting.

Senior always writes a blend of patois and standard English. For those unfamiliar with patois, certain aspects may be lost. But overall a great collection.

[Nessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I have read any short stories and this reminded me I should read more. And more Caribbean Literature as well. Loved the stories. I always think it's the mark of a good short story if at the end of each one you want more. And for sure I wanted more. Each story could have been a novel in itself.

[2TReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Olive Senior has done it again. Proven her depth of knowledge not only of people but also their history, cultural norms, and positions in society. She has used this landscape to excavate racial prejudices, internalized and learned racism, hierarchical structures, social striations, and their impact on her characters.

It is a testament to her prowess with the story form to put to page stories of people who are so very easily imagined and empathized with as they each struggle with their own trials. No matter the generation, she handles them with deft hands so her readers are able to see everything come to life and roll out across the pages. Each story has elements that allow for thought and contemplation, making us really wonder whether our societies and communities have entirely been able to extract themselves from colonial-led thought patterns and perspectives.

[Karen S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5* rounded up