Whispers from the Cotton Tree Root: Caribbean Fabulist Fiction

by Nalo Hopkinson

Med Sz PB

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies, Speculative Fiction, Magical Realism, Science Fiction

318 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Nalo Hopkinson is a Jamaican-born writer and editor who lives in Canada. Her science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories often draw on Caribbean history and language, and its traditions of oral and written storytelling.

Reviews

[Jherane Patmore]

I don't think I've ever read a Caribbean anthology more wonderfully and carefully curated. A brilliant and vibrant collection that I will definitely be re-reading soon. I think this collection is out of print but if you find it get a copy and buy one for someone who loves the strange, mystical and beautiful things about the Caribbean.

[Eve]

Available to read for free here

Holy SHIT. There's a lot to unpack in this very small short story. Themes of colorism, misogyny, and more that I don't want to spoil. Going in blind to this story is best. The only thing I can say is, you WILL want more when you're done.

[2TReads]

Phenomenal.

How do I begin to explain my experience with this anthology? Nalo really stuck her whole entire foot into this endeavour because the stories and excerpts included were just spectacular. I wanted to devour every story immediately but knew I needed to spend time with each of them, to absorb the inherent specialness.

Because each of them in their own way spoke deeply to me as a Jamaican, to the talent of Caribbean people, and also to the absolute uniqueness of our existence within our regional space.

The anthology was divided into sections that called upon memory, tradition, sayings, proverbs, lore, visions, and the crafted stories effortlessly brought the vision for the anthology to life.

Captured within every story is history and culture and meaning. Each author picking up the call, answering the summons, and spinning webs of time and place that are rooted within our people, our folklore, and the islands.

The lyrical spill of words, the sharply honed dialect, and the 'I know them' characters that existed on the pages breathed an immersive experience into this anthology and I find myself still within these pages; walking with June-Plum as she anxiously pleads with Riva Muma, listening to Sookoo tell of La Diablesse, and standing with the villagers of Whitesands Bay wondering what became of that most extraordinary fish.

[Avi]

If you never read another short story in the entire compilation please read the story by Nalo Hopkinson

[Tiffany Lynn Kramer]

4.5
After reading 3 and a half of the stories in Skin Folk I was prepared to dnf the rest. They weren't bad stories, just not to my taste. Then I
read a review that mentioned The Glass Bottle Trick was a Blue Beard retelling and I couldn't bring myself to pass it up.
This little gem was just what I was looking for. It's subtle but powerful in its imagery and the ending was the perfect balance of teasing and satisfying.

[liz]

For some reason, short story anthologies take me FOREVER to get through. There were some good ones here, but hands down "Just a Lark (or the Crypt of Matthew Ashdown)" by Roger McTair was my favorite.

[Emily]

I read this story for a class but I found that I was still thinking about it days later. Many things about it stuck with me and I felt that it was incredibly well-written. Superb foreshadowing and characterization.

[Catherine Siemann]

Some of these stories were more to my personal taste than others, but this is an important and worthwhile collection.

[Tracy]

I like to read books like this while vacationing in the Caribbean.

[Anastasia]

*Read for class.

I'm reading this one, again, for my paper on Bluebeard's plot transformation. An interesting take with an unresolved ending.