Benjy

by Kathy Esquivel

Set in Belize City in the 80s and 90s, Benjy is the story of a young man unexpectedly stricken by a mental disorder. We see him struggle to survive in a world where too many people do not understand that even in the midst of his often chaotic and violent circumstances, the emotions of love, fairness, and honesty, remain intact within him. Benjy is also the story of his caring family members who make an effort to understand him and ensure his well-being and survival while embroiled in their own life drama. This is an account of love, generosity and kindness, skilfully intertwined with unfaithfulness, injustice, and the crime and violence in our midst. Through Benjy’s lens we become more conscious of the positive and negative energies that coexist in our society, allowing us to empathise with characters we often reject, and reflect upon what is often really hidden from view.

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 9, 2019

Reviews

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is a beautifully written account of a fictional character, Benji who navigates his small world under the guidance of his loving family. Esquival addresses the issues of mental illness and how families play an important role in the well-being of those loved ones who are plagued by such illnesses.
Set in the city of Belize in Central America, the author brings the characters to life as they walk the streets of the city, interact with the law, the prison system, and the day to day lives of those around them. The way in which she gets into the mind of the main character, Benji, is phenomenal.
The plot is clearly worked out and the ending leaves the reader satisfied.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the story is engaging, I must admit, I finished this novel much quicker than I often do because it is always so exciting to read books where Belize is the setting. Always so relatable and gives a sense of you kinda know exactly where the characters are and what they're feeling/seeing. Yet, there were several quotes which really left me reeling. I think this happens to a lot of white writers, and even nonBlack writers, when they approach the description, character development and storylines of Black characters in their work. I really think it would serve a lot of writers to stay in their own (race) lane, if they can not escape falling down the slippery slope into stereotypes. This line from page 48, for example, (among others especially re description of white and nonBlack characters versus Black characters) "He get more offer than anyone. I think what they like is his colour-dark enough to be exotic but not a scary black like me." The entire sentence is cringe-y and there were several other similar instances, for example just a few pages later appears a description of a white character's "delicate porcelain skin."
Also while the novel states that it was set in the 1980s and 1990s Belize, and I did feel a sense of that in moments of the novel, I appreciated the anachronistic inclusions of internet, cell phones, long television news coverage, the mention of the a branch of the Police similar to Belize's GSU (2010-2020) and the profuse gang-related crime which were not factors of Belize's reality in the 80s and 90s, alongside descriptions of the Market (no longer existent) near the Swing Bridge and the swinging of the Swing Bridge. That created an effect of several eras of Belize, Belize City especially, coinciding within a single piece. That I thought was great and gave the book an amazing atemporality, or of several eras existing visibly together, which is a sense I do get sometimes when I visit Belize City. All in all, I recommend the novel as it does a lot to try to give an insight into the treatment and lack of resources for and attitudes towards mental illness and mental health in Belize, especially as it is related to the justice system of Belize.

[Shera · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was relatable, captivating and fantastic!