March 2017 - Small Island by Andrea Levy

March saw us reading Small Island by Andrea Levy. This was a tough read: the quality of the writing was high but the subject matter was often quite challenging and upsetting. Two of us didn't make it to the end because we just weren't enjoying the story and found it too depressing. However, Annette thought that even though it was an uncomfortable read it was definitely worth persevering.

Small Island follows the lives of 4 different characters during and immediately after World War II. Hortense and Gilbert are Jamaican, Queenie and Bernard are English. Most of the storyline takes place in England, though parts are told in Jamaica and India as well. All four character's voices are believable and vibrant and each character is forced to sink or swim in post-WWII England. Despite fighting for the British in the war, the Jamaican ex-servicemen were left with no opportunities. Racism is rampant in this story, and the author based it on the real-life experiences of her parents.

Scores:
Anna      5
Annette  10
Carmel   8
Deb        10
Kristy     7
Megan    8

Average: 8