Me Dying Trial

by Patricia Powell

Gwennie lives in a sleepy rural Jamaican backwater. Weighed down by a wayward brood of children and trapped in her unhappy marriage to Walter, she seeks solace in the company of her friends. Soon she is faced with a hard does she flee from her past and the everyday cruelties of family life, or is she to remain a victim of her sense of duty?
Me Dying Trial is a poignant tale of a woman's response to sudden change. It combines lightness and joie de vivre with an infinite sadness.

Genres: Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1993

About the author

Patricia Powell is Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing at Mills College. She is the author four novels, including Me Dying Trial, A Small Gathering of Bones (Beacon Press, 2003), The Pagoda (Harcourt, 1999), and The Fullness of Everything (Peepal Tree Press, 2009).

Excerpts from her novels as well as her short stories have been widely anthologized, and she has lectured and led creative writing workshops in literary venues both nationally and internationally.

In 1993 Powell was a finalist for Granta’s Best of Young American Novelists Award. Among other prizes, she is the recipient of a PEN New England Discovery Award, The Publishing Triangle’s Ferro-Grumley Award for fiction, and The Lila-Wallace Reader’s Digest Writers’ Award. Powell’s fifth novel is forthcoming.

Reviews

[Renee-lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in a comfortable style that evokes the Jamaican accent/lilt and Jamaican mannerisms, "Me Dying Trial" left me wanting something more. The end of the book was almost perfunctory and certainly abrupt and rushed after some good pacing throughout. Perhaps my perception will improve on another reading, which I will do this weekend.

Gwennie's story actually left me feeling little sympathy for her though I know that her situation isn't uncommon and isn't easy. But something about how she handled things made me want to smack her a few times. I felt sympathy for her children and for Aunt Cora, especially as the children were left to parent themselves or to the mercy of Walter (a clear disappointment and stereotypical Jamaican father). Peppy and Rudi are my favourites; I felt that I understood them and could empathize with them their characters being finely drawn and well developed. The other children just seemed to be filler, had and named only to highlight the (1) lack of available birth control or (2) lack of family planning. What really was their purpose than to increase Gwennie's burdens and push her to Foreign/Farrin quicker and permanently? I did, however, like the Powell's exploration of homosexuality on Jamaica though at times that too felt stereotypical (e.g. Rudi was necessarily domesticated & given lots of tesponsibility as the oldest and he was close to his mother and at times Powell seemed to draw a clear causal line between those interactions and his homosexuality…that is bothersome)

Definite mixed feelings about this book but would recommend nonetheless. Look forward to reading more from Powell to see how she's evolved and evolving.

[BookOfCinz · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Me Dying Trial we meet Gwennie, a primary school teach in rural Jamaica in an unhappy marriage with six children. Gwennie can not seem to catch a break, she works for a really low salary and is constantly tired with little or no help. With the help of her Mother and her Aunty, Gwennie was able to leave her children to pursue higher education in the form of a teacher's certificate. With her new found empowerment Gwennie wants to do and be so much more but ends up getting pregnant with another child. Overcome with a sense of hopelessness with no end in sight Gwennie finds a light through her brother who sends her a visa to the US.

Gweenie is faced with the hard decision, should she leave her 6 children in the care of her family and husband who is constantly drunk? Should she run away and carve a life out for them? What will happen if she leaves? With such a hard decision to make Gweenie decides to visit the US for three months but three years later her children only hears from her through letters and barrel sent every Christmas. How does Gweenie bridge the gap of resentment building in children and family?

Me Dying Trial is a truly authentic Jamaican novel that give us a unique look into country life and life in the 1980s. I liked the story of Gweenie but I did not LOVE it. I felt the story was a bit all over the place and a lot of issues were left unresolved. I felt Gweenie was a character was a bit once dimensional and so was her husband. While I felt for Gweenie in someway I didn't believe her. For a debut novel it was very interesting and I love the dialect and authentic Jamaican feel, something was just missing for me.

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flipping through the pages, I see numerous hostile response notes in the margins.....I remember. At this time, I was still completely opposed to the idea of myself being a mother, but I can see that I must have had the same beliefs about parenting in general that I have today.
I recall really disliking and harshly judging the protagonist, as I believe that the traditional responsibility she has for her children outweighs any personal desires she may have. I don't recall if I ever sympathized with her at the end or not.... I'll be interested in reading someone else's interpretation of her character.

[2TReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe closer to a 4, I am still a bit upset at the augmentation of my native tongue.

'But Gwennie, if I know you like I think I know you, you are stubborn and strong, mule ownself. And if you suffer and go through what you go through with Walter, because of your plenty children, you can go through any damn thing.' - Percy
🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴
And that quote pretty much sums up Gwennie, our protagonist in a nutshell. Although she stayed in, and went back into an abusive situation; she never stopped fighting for what she wanted to accomplish for herself and her children. Me Dying Trial takes us via country roads into the various interactions, gossiping, infidelity and jacket-bringing that surrounds Gwennie and her extended family.
🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴
Gwennie just wants to be independent; to work and have something to call her own, to be able to provide her kids with better opportunities; even when that meant leaving them and giving the older ones the responsibility of caring for the younger ones; with a man whom she worried might not treat them with care. At first it seemed selfish, but as we progress through the story, we see that after having had to depend on Walter, who constantly berates, abuses and lets her down; Gwennie just wants out.
🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴
And so when the chance to leave comes her way, she takes it, knowing that when she does this, she will be able to make a way for herself and her children. In America though, her training amounts to nothing and she is forced into doing what all immigrants experience when they arrive in the 'land of opportunity'; clean houses. Gwennie now has to work at a different task, relearning and re-knowing her children, as a distance has grown between them since she missed most of their formative years.
🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲
If you loved Patsy, READ this book that chronicles the strength a mother must possess to strive for a better life for herself and her children; while losing a bond that would have grown stronger had she remained with them as they grew up.
🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲
My biggest issue with this book was the augmented patwa, which I feel was done to appeal to an audience that aren't native speakers and at the time the book was written, may not have been particularly marketable.
🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say, this was a really good debut (published 1993). I was assigned another book by this author called The Pagoda (1998), and that one blew me away so I figured I would pick up this one when I saw it. Patricia Powell is actually a professor at my college and I really wish I had taken/can take a class with her because she’s truly an amazing person and writer. Me Dying Trial is a hard hitting and bittersweet debut that follows a Jamaican family. I definitely recommend this book, but in all honesty I recommend The Pagoda first and foremost!

[BernieMck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. We travel to rural Jamaica, to meet Gwennie, who is in an unhappy marriage. Gwennie does what she has to, to relocate her and her 6 kids With different personalities and issues to a better life. The drama found, between the book covers, is quite entertaining.

[Emily Posthumus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! The vernacular writing creates a realistic and poignant story.

[Elaine Reinhard]

Excellent story that holds and captivated you throughout. Warm, sad, loving, angry and beautiful all describe this book. Thank you good reads for my winning this book.

[Moi · Rating 3 out of 5]

lovely and hilarious.

bahni turpin continues to be the best voice talent out there. she's stunning.