The writing in this novel is mesmerizing. The prose flows so smoothly that I could hear a West Indian woman telling this story. Also, descriptions of the island setting benefited from Kincaid's amazing attention to detail. Unfortunately, the characters are so unlikeable that it was a challenge to enjoy the story. I understand that this is a harsh tale of the difficult existence of a girl whose mother died as she was born and whose father initially abandoned her to a neighbor. But even in difficult circumstances, people make connections and form relationships. I don't feel that the narrator ever formed an authentic relationship during this tale of her life that spans decades. Fantastic writing did not compensate for this inability for me to connect to anything in this character's life. flag
flag