Love Like Gumbo

by Nancy Rawles

Love Like Gumbo is a rich stew of family ties, budding lesbian sexuality, and Creole culture set in 1978 South Central L.A. This is Nancy Rawles's first novel, and it bears the marks of her previous work as a playwright--crisp dialogue and characters portrayed more with gesture and movement than narrative. Protagonist Grace Broussard is a 20-year-old caught between the traditions of her Creole family and her love for her Mexican girlfriend. This warm, funny novel will appeal to women who question the relation between cultural tradition, family obligation, and an individual's sexual choices.

Genres: Fiction, African American

266 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1997

Reviews

[Eric Hellman]

From the Unglue.it campaign, which is trying to make this work free to the world under a Creative Commons License.

Seattle-based NANCY RAWLES is the author of three critically-acclaimed and award-winning novels. Her first novel, LOVE LIKE GUMBO, won an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation for its portrayal of a lesbian daughter’s struggle in 1978 for independence from her warm but suffocating LA Creole family.

Nancy is glad to offer to Unglue her first novel, long out of print, for a new generation of readers.

“If a young lesbian of color struggling to come out to her family wants to read a book about a young lesbian of color struggling to come out to her family, she should have it available free as an e-book rather than having to hide a hard copy between the covers, if you know what I mean.”
First published by Fjord Press in 1997, LOVE LIKE GUMBO is ready to be reissued as an Unglued Ebook because the small press has gone out of business.

As a playwright, novelist, poet, and teacher, Nancy Rawles is not afraid to experiment in her writing or the media she uses to reach her audience. When she spoke at TEDx Overlake about “Learning to Breathe,” she opened with a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt:

“You must do the thing that you think you cannot do.”

[kiku · Rating 4 out of 5]

the writing was immaculate and i loved the surprise lesbian relationship. for a book written in the 90s it was very well written in terms of writing a queer character without making their queerness over saturate the other aspects of the book.
i loved learning about creole history, the way it emerged through the plot was so natural yet so educational. the pacing + sequencing of the book sort of confused me however that may be just because i'm dumb. other than that, this book was such a good read and the character development/emotional depth was to die for.
(yes it took me 3 weeks to finish this book i'm ashamed)

[Mark Valentine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not get the chance to read a novel with a young, African-american, Creole, Catholic woman who lives in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles in the 1970s frequently. This novel fits perfectly into this genre. Grace Desiree Broussard plans to leave her family in chapter one by using a 10-Point Plan:

1. Refuse to go to Mass;
2. Ruin her hair by picking it out into a large umbrella;
3. Invite Elena (her Latina lesbian lover) to dinner;
4. When this happens, have Elena wear the red dress that Grace will give her;
5. Stay out dancing all night;
6. Move in with Elena;
7. Pack everything she owns (but leave behind the statuettes, rosaries, first Communion dress, etc.);
8. Move out on the same day all this happens;
9. Refuse her mother, Camille's, gumbo; and
10. Change her name from Broussard to something untraceable.

It wasn't until I read the middle chapters of the novel that I became completely absorbed. She writes about how Grace and her family, while driving back from California to Louisiana to see relatives for Easter, have a car hit them in Texas. The sheer, utter, defiling racism in the scene reeks worse than any unwashed gumbo dishes in the sink.

Then there are chapters with Grace and her lover, Elena, that are very moving; or when she is with her family at the beach, or sitting by herself in the cemetary mourning the father she never got to say goodbye to three years earlier.

I found this to be a lively, fresh, fun, poignant novel. By the final pages, I was immersed in her vivacious family, feeling like I was a guest at the table eating the gumbo alongside them. In other words, this is a hospitable novel. Now on to read the sequel, Crawfish Dreams.

[Amanda Mecke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when it first came out, through a friend who knew Nancy, and I loved it for its characters, its setting and -- not commonplace for novels about lesbians of color -- having a happy ending. Full Disclosure: I am working with Eric (below) at Unglue.it to help Nancy make the ebook free using a CC license, since it is now out-of-print. FYI, she has a new book published this month: MIZ SPARKS IS ON FIRE AND IT AIN'T NO DRILL.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovingly funny novel about family ties that bind and gag. Grace Broussard knows she's got to leave her family before she's thrown out -- she's a lesbian and she figures THAT won't fly in her Catholic Creole famly. She has a plan, a ten point plan for escape. She hasn't reckoned, however, with restless spirits, the clairvoyant next door, freak accidents... or her mother's gumbo.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for Bonded through Books club. First of a trilogy recommended by Carla Kaatz. I enjoyed the development of the main character and the insight into the creole culture in the 60's.