I appreciate stories of complicated families, especially when they provide a window to a situation\setting that's different from my own. So I thought I'd really enjoy The House of Plain Truth by Donna Hemans, but instead it left me frustrated.
Written in somewhat of a dual timeline format, the story is told primarily by Pearline who left her father and sisters in Jamaica as a young woman to seek a better life in America. After living in Brooklyn for decades, she returns to her homeland to care for her dying father. His deathbed wish launches her investigation into family history and searching for siblings she hasn't seen in 60 years. Along the way, she creates a found family at the family's homestead and learns secrets that threaten to destroy the very foundation on which her family was built.
The plot was inspired by the author's family history, and I commend her for sharing it so publicly. The information about the politics between Cuba and Jamaica prior to the late 1970s was new learning for me, and I enjoyed the exploration of the meaning of 'home.' The sense of place was well done with lush descriptions of native plants and local food. However, I had difficulty connecting with the characters, and just when I became interested in a person or group, the time would switch to a different decade of the family's history. I frequently felt the plot took two steps forward and then one back.
Thank you to Cindy Burnett and the Thoughts From a Page Early Reads Program for the opportunity to read a review copy and participate in an interview with the author.
Written in somewhat of a dual timeline format, the story is told primarily by Pearline who left her father and sisters in Jamaica as a young woman to seek a better life in America. After living in Brooklyn for decades, she returns to her homeland to care for her dying father. His deathbed wish launches her investigation into family history and searching for siblings she hasn't seen in 60 years. Along the way, she creates a found family at the family's homestead and learns secrets that threaten to destroy the very foundation on which her family was built.
The plot was inspired by the author's family history, and I commend her for sharing it so publicly. The information about the politics between Cuba and Jamaica prior to the late 1970s was new learning for me, and I enjoyed the exploration of the meaning of 'home.' The sense of place was well done with lush descriptions of native plants and local food. However, I had difficulty connecting with the characters, and just when I became interested in a person or group, the time would switch to a different decade of the family's history. I frequently felt the plot took two steps forward and then one back.
Thank you to Cindy Burnett and the Thoughts From a Page Early Reads Program for the opportunity to read a review copy and participate in an interview with the author.
