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A review by loischanel
The Star Side of Bird Hill by Naomi Jackson
3.0
tw: homophobia
The Star Side of Bird Hill is about two sisters; Dionne and Phaedra, who live with their mother, Avril, in Brooklyn. But due to their mother's failing mental health, the girls are sent to live with their grandmother, Hyacinth in Barbados. Whilst Phaedra becomes more and more enamoured with the country of her heritage and her grandmother's root work, Dionne harbours a growing resentment towards her mother and wants nothing more than to return to Brooklyn and her old life.
This debut novel is a coming-of-age story that handles some heavy themes, such as grief, child neglect and the dichotomy between family estrangement as well as its enduring ability to bend but never truly break.
Jackson has an emotive writing style, portrayed in a very subtle way; the story doesn't particularly jump off the page and grab the reader's attention but it did feel meaningful, if a little prosaic. But to the book's credit, the characters were masterfully developed and they felt extremely authentic, like they were real people i.e. Hyacinth's unwavering practicality is a reflection of how older Caribbean women typically tend to bear up and carry on despite life's adversities, no matter how tough; Dionne is an adolescent whose defensive, self-assured behaviour is really a sign of feeling lost and vulnerable whilst Phaedra is transparent with her emotions.
The whole story arc surrounding Father Loving felt altogether unresolved for me but overall, I thought The Star Side of Bird Hill was a deep, searching novel and a powerful debut.
The Star Side of Bird Hill is about two sisters; Dionne and Phaedra, who live with their mother, Avril, in Brooklyn. But due to their mother's failing mental health, the girls are sent to live with their grandmother, Hyacinth in Barbados. Whilst Phaedra becomes more and more enamoured with the country of her heritage and her grandmother's root work, Dionne harbours a growing resentment towards her mother and wants nothing more than to return to Brooklyn and her old life.
This debut novel is a coming-of-age story that handles some heavy themes, such as grief, child neglect and the dichotomy between family estrangement as well as its enduring ability to bend but never truly break.
Jackson has an emotive writing style, portrayed in a very subtle way; the story doesn't particularly jump off the page and grab the reader's attention but it did feel meaningful, if a little prosaic. But to the book's credit, the characters were masterfully developed and they felt extremely authentic, like they were real people i.e. Hyacinth's unwavering practicality is a reflection of how older Caribbean women typically tend to bear up and carry on despite life's adversities, no matter how tough; Dionne is an adolescent whose defensive, self-assured behaviour is really a sign of feeling lost and vulnerable whilst Phaedra is transparent with her emotions.
The whole story arc surrounding Father Loving felt altogether unresolved for me but overall, I thought The Star Side of Bird Hill was a deep, searching novel and a powerful debut.