Drinking from a Bitter Cup

by Angela Jackson-Brown

“1978. The year I turned ten and the year my mama killed herself. She was thirty-five, and dying is the last thing that should have been on her mind.”

After the death of her mother, Sylvia Butler’s father, a man she knows only from an old photo, takes her from Louisville, Kentucky to Ozark, Alabama to live with his family. But his wife resents everything about this intruder, from her out-of-wedlock conception to her dark skin and nappy hair.

When the wife’s younger brother Charles returns from Vietnam, Sylvia thinks she has found a friend and confidante, only to be hurt again, but this time, in a manner she never could have imagined.

Set under the backdrop of the Deep South in the 70s and 80s, this coming of age story of redemption and grace follows Sylvia in her journey from awkward girl to confident young woman, at last standing on her own.

Genres: Fiction, Drama, Historical Fiction, Romance, African American, Ebooks

298 pages, Paperback

First published December 17, 2013

About the author

Angela Jackson-Brown is an award-winning writer, poet and playwright who teaches Creative Writing at Indiana University in Bloomington. She also teaches in the Naslund-Mann School of Writing at Spalding University in Louisville, KY. She is a graduate of Troy University, Auburn University and the Spalding Naslund-Mann low-residency MFA program in Creative Writing. She is the author of several novels, including the soon-to-be released, Homeward, and has published in numerous literary journals. Her publisher is Harper Muse, an imprint of HarperCollins.

Reviews

[Cheryl James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feeling much sadness and madness after reading this book. A mother who loved her daughter but was so broken inside she kills herself. A father who did not know the daughter existed took her in and loved her back to some normalcy only to die his self. Now she is left with the wicked step mother and the abusive uncle. The uncle be friends her and then rapes and mentally abuses her and breaks her young spirit from the ages of 11 to 14. Too scared to tell anyone she lives in fear and much physical pain. The story makes mention of Oprah Winfrey and Maya Angela who both were sexually abused at a very young age. She has since returned home with her mother's best friend and starting to heal with a soon to be child of her own. This is a fiction book but I have always said, there is much truth to fiction stories. My heart goes out to all of the girls, women, boys and men who have and will experience such trauma. No one should have to live such a life. Parents make sure that your child/children knows that there is always a way out. Speak up, Speak out and be heard. A closed mouth is never fed.

[Sandrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in a long time to take me through the range of emotions I felt. I laughed and cried so much reading Drinking from a Bitter Cup. Sylvia truly was a very strong young lady. I was filled with so much hope for her by the end of the book.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

This is a story that tugs at your heart. Sylvia went through so much and didn't completely break. Her trials made her strong. Emotional book. Great book.

[Sophie Sealy]

DEPRESSING AS HELL, read at your own risk

[Delora Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a fabulous story. It's been a long time since I've come across a "can't-put-it-down" book.

I instantly fell in love with Sylvia, and I wanted to reach into the pages of the book and bring her home with me. Her sweetness, strength and resilience in the face of soul-crushing devastation, which no child should ever have to go through, was heart-breaking but inspiring.

Ms. Jackson-Brown did a wonderful job developing the story with a great cast of supporting characters, none of which, ever hit a wrong note.

Endearing, uplifting, sad, hopeful, scary, infuriating, suspenseful, horrifying, heart-breaking, and ultimately, satisfying is the journey Ms. Jackson-Brown took me on with Drinking from a Bitter Cup. I enjoyed every minute of it.

My only gripe is with the cover of this book. I understand the meaning, but I don't think it conveys any connection to Sylvia and her gripping tale.

Beyond that complaint, this is a story well-worth your reading time.

[Melissa Hostetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel kept me on an emotional roller coaster. I laughed, I cried. I cried a lot. The hardships that Sylvia faced in this story are things nobody should ever have to face. But she gives hope to anyone who has. Things get better. Don't let life get you down. Keep on living.

This book has helped me in a time of emotions. I connected on too many levels with this fictional character and I can only hope to continue my life with half as much courage and hope that she demonstrates in the end.

Thank you Angela Jackson-Brown for allowing this amazing story to be read - by myself and any other person who has ever felt any of the emotions Sylvia has felt: loss, uncertainty, confusion, love, etc. I'm so very glad that I have had the opportunity to read this wonderful story and to know the woman who wrote it. Thanks for being my professor and thank you for being such a wonderful woman.

I would recommend this novel to everyone. It deals with some very tough topics, but life is tough and things like this happen everyday.


But for those who do want to read it: Trigger warning of rape, violence, and suicide.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful, but I'm not sure I liked the message or the ending. Heck, I'm not really sure I liked the book. There are a lot of themes explored here about families and family dynamics, what constitutes family, religion (Christian hypocrisy), marriage fidelity and resentment, and mental illness, nature vs nurture, sexual abuse etc. All through the eyes of a little girl. It is well written and you really do become attached to Sylvie. She was indeed drinking from a horribly bitter cup. I confess I was baffled by all the reviews that spoke of courage and hope in the main character. By the end of the book I saw her future as pretty bleak. I found her circumstances and this book ultimately depressing; but one reviewer said something that provided clarity. She said that [paraphrased] through all of the turmoil, Sylvie remained of the same character and spirit. None of the circumstances robbed her of her innate goodness and spirit. That rang true and that is where I see the hopefulness of this novel. The book seems realistic but be warned, it is quite raw, harrowing and haunting.

solid 4 stars

[Karen George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms. Jackson-Brown's debut novel, Drinking From a Bitter Cup, pulled me in with the first sentences: "1978. The year I turned ten and the year my mama killed herself." And, as only happens with the best books, I couldn't stop reading and yet I didn't want the novel to end. The characters are complex and unforgettable, the story hauntingly told from the first person point-of-view of Sylvia Butler, beginning at the age of 10, filled with yearning, kindness, and reverence.
Before her mother, Rose, kills herself, she tells Sylvia, "Don't love anybody too much. Keep just a little back," advice she doesn't understand at the time, but learns the full meaning of only too soon.
Drinking From a Bitter Cup is full of heartbreak and hope, told with a compelling voice. There are so many memorable moments, such as one of my favorites, where Sylvia's father speaks of her mother Rose's singing voice: "She could cut you open with one note and sew you up with another." The same could be said of Ms. Jackson-Brown and her powerful novel.

[Candy]

Emotional Read

This book grabbed me from the beginning. I felt so many emotions with this book. I wanted to laugh, cry, and scream with anger with each turn of the page. Sylvia really drank from a bitter cup and it was amazing to read her heart wrenching story. I'm glad I decided to read this book. I was not disappointed at all.

[Ben]

Brutality forged into song.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartbreaking story, but it ended well

This is my first book by Mrs. Brown and it will not be my last. Sylvia have went though a lot, but I am happy she was able to get away. I would love to know if there will be a second book because I would love to know what happened with Sylvia and her situation.

[London Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MY...

This story is so beautifully sad. Sylvia had my emotions from page one as I rooted for her. She found her happy in the most unorthodox way, but happy nonetheless. That’s the least she deserved. This was an excellent read.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was immediately hooked. Sylvia was so complex and she described her world so vividly that a couple of times I had to check whether the author had based this book on her life. I really felt like I was seeing the world through a 10 year old's eyes. Sylvia's description of her sexual abuse was poignant; her confusion pulled at me.
I feel like the book kind of ended in limbo though. I wish we could see what happened next with the characters. I kept waiting for Mother Viv's redemption, but I guess that was wishful thinking.

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angela Jackson-Brown's novel Drinking from a Bitter Cup is a haunting, desolate story of a young child abandoned in the world. At every page, I wanted to stop reading. But her prose was so effortlessly elegant that I couldn't. (My wife read the book in one sitting as well.)

The story follows Sylvia Butler, a young African-American child who is being raised by her mother. Her mom has mental health issues, which causes her daughter to be ostracized socially. When the mother passes away, her father -- whom she has never known -- comes to take her from Louisville to his home in Alabama. Her father dotes on her, thrilled to find out he has a daughter. For a moment, all seems okay. However, her step-mother is none too happy about the long-over affair that has now come to light, and something seems off about her step-uncle who is just back from the war. Ultimately, tragedy strikes again. Alone and thousands of miles from the only real home she ever knew, she is forced to face the harsh realities of a broken home.

What made the story more powerful was knowing it was a fictionalized version of Jackson-Brown's life, which we discussed on my podcast. The horrors in the book were more visceral because there was no way to shake off the fact that the essence of the story sprang from that well of truth. Even as that heaviness floated down and around me, the lyrical prose swept me from page to page and never allowed me time to wallow in the vast emptiness.

Generally I try to temper my reviews, but in this case the book was so flawless that it would be insulting to say otherwise. This is a good, hard, beautiful book.

[Cheryl James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good story of a young girl's pain, sorrow and forgiveness.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just wait until you meet 15 year old Sylvia Butler, the courageous, resourceful, gritty heroine of this beautifully wrought debut novel. A character-driven story rendered with compassion and grace, this novel will remind you why you love to read. Young Sylvia is in need of a family. Along the way, she discovers the steely core inside herself, despite the obstacles life pelts her with. Though the story comes to us through Sylvia’s adolescent and childhood eyes, this is an adult novel, a clear-eyed portrayal of the human condition in all its glory and depravity. Jackson-Brown compels her reader to look beneath the surface, subtly leading the way to empathy and perhaps redemption. Sylvia is a survivor. Her quest for family may be thwarted by human foibles, but her soul is not corrupted. This girl reminds me to seek the God-spark that is in every human heart.

[--karen Green-berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing

I've had this book in my kindle for a couple of years and I'm so glad I finally decided to read it. It tells the heartbreaking yet heartwarming story of Sylvia Butler. It's a story of love, hate, depravity, hope and perseverance.

Sylvia has endured so much in her young life. Her mother's mental health issues and eventual suicide. Moving to live with a father she didn't know and all she encountered there. She endured so much sadness and brutality in her short life but she rose above it all.

The author has done a terrific job of telling this gripping tale; one that draws you in and I it were possible, reach into the pages and strangle some of the characters. I would have loved to know what happened beyond where this book ended. I hope there will be a follow up book.

[Mona Grant-Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sylvia Butler is an only child. The most important person in Sylvia's life is her mother, Rose; closely followed by her grandmotherly neighbor, Miss Cora; and her mothers best friend, Uncle Ray. Rose is unlike any of the mothers of Sylvia's classmates. She is beautiful, she sings beautifully, she paints the walls of their home in bright vibrant colors, she makes their clothes, she makes Sylvia laugh, and she makes Sylvia feel loved. Sylvia is smart, sweet, shy, and loves to read. Rose dies when Sylvia is ten. With the loss of her mother, Sylvia goes to live with her father, who didn't know she existed until Rose died. How much pain and loss can one endure? It is after Rose's death that Sylvia really comes to learn that a cup that is sweet, can also be bitter.

[Elaine Drennon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angela Jackson-Brown not only captures the VOICE of a broken, abused coming-of-age little girl of the 70s, but she captures the EMOTIONS--the pain, the confusion, the misplaced loyalty, the embarrassment, the need to hold on even when things feel wrong. As much as we might not want to, this is a book we should give to our daughters and granddaughters. The fact that this sad story COULD happen to anyone is the reason that all women should read and embrace this book. It could happen to any little girl, therefore it is EVERYONE's job to hold dearly those who have been there and to keep our eyes open for situations where it could happen again. A masterpiece of modern day Southern literature!

[Erin Cataldi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a punch to the gut, this book makes you see red. It's gripping, depressing, uplifting, and compelling all in one go. Ten year old Sylvia is sent to live with her father, whom she's never met, after her mother tragically takes her own life. Faced with hardship after hardship Sylvia is a model child, student, and friend, but inside she is struggling to make peace with what is going on in her life. Set in Alabama during the late 70s/early 80s, this novel will make readers question their willpower and wonder if they would have the courage and the strength to live as fiercely as Sylvia does in the face of adversity. An excellent debut novel.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angela Jackson-Brown has written an Outstanding book of love, hope, pain, fear, acceptance, sadness and absolution. Set in the 1970's & 80's of the South, Sylvia always seemed to have a more mature grace at handling the trials & tribulations that came her way. She never experienced happiness without sadness or love without pain in her shattered life. I cried, screamed, rejoiced and held my breath every step of the way, enthralled at her fortitude and broken in her pain. I cannot recommend this book enough!

[C.R. Asay · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an emotional roller coaster! I started it last night before bed and haven't been able to put it down all day. There's a pile of tissues beside me and I have that tight, hiccupy feeling in my throat. I felt a connection to the MC Sylvia from the first paragraph. The writing and characterization is flawless and beautiful. I gave it 4 stars only because it deals with some very tough issues that make it hard to read. This book is a treasure.

[Tina Griep · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! The characters are well defined. This novel grabs your attention from the start and will not let you go. I began to read it one Saturday morning and 4 hours later completed the book. You end up rooting for the heroine and using up a box of tissues. I highly recommend this book and author and look forward to more of Angela Jackson-Brown's works.

[Holly Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story, rather abrupt ending.

I loved this story. I cried at least twice. However I felt like this incredible build up of heartbreak, love, loss and relationships ended really abruptly, almost as if the author realized her deadline was there and she just needed to end the book.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book of sexual abuse was gripping because it touched the true emotions of a young girl. I would not have read the book if I had known it was about abuse but once that was revealed, I finished the book as I needed a survivor to emerge and not a victim. Very sad book.

[Jennifer Burg · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book! I couldn't put it down! I had so many emotions while reading it. I would laugh, cry, get angry, and I would want to reach in and pull Sylvie into my arms.
One of the best books I've read in awhile in this category.
I cannot wait to read her next book!

[sue ann vanderpool · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Touching Coming-of-Age Story

Set in the South during the '60s and '70s the story unfolds as a realistic portrayal of the times. This could well be about my.friends or me. It is the good bad and ugly of life then. It touches my heart.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an emotional journey. I cried and wanted to hurt some of the characters. The story had so many ups and downs. My heart went out to Sylvia. It was so hard to imagine the things she went through at such a young age.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reminded me of the many books Oprah made popular several years ago with her recommendations on her book list. No surprises here really. A young girl faces terrible tragedy yet somehow comes out stronger young woman. I thought it was well written and compelling enough that it was a quick read.

[Kellee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Very well written. It's a good book to read while sipping hot chocolate on a cold or rainy day.