I started this books around the world project during the pandemic, when travel was off limits. I didn’t quite realize just how many countries there were and how hard it would be to find good books from or about some of these places. It’s super easy to find books about England and Ireland written in English. Little Caribbean countries? Not so much.
Early on, I read Annie John, Jamaica Kincaid’s novel set in Antigua and Barbuda. That novel is mentioned in The Star Side of Bird Hill, Naomi Jackson’s story of two sisters sent to Barbados to live with their grandmother in 1989. The two girls, Phaedra and Dionne, have been living in Brooklyn with their mother, Avril, who left the island for adventure in the states. And while their mother ended up with gainful employment as a nurse, she was also very sick with depression, forcing Phaedra and Dionne to take care of themselves. The summer that Dionne was 15 and Phaedra was 10, Avril sent them to Barbados to stay with her mother, Hyacinth.
There’s some culture shock in the story, because Barbados has little in common with Brooklyn other than both being former British colonies. In addition to the obvious differences of weather and lifestyle, Dionne and Phaedra now has to report to an adult who gets up every day, keeps the house clean, and assigns them chores. The two girls both crave and resent this oversight.
And furthermore, Hyacinth is a root woman, a healer and midwife who works with herbs instead of modern medicine. This adds an additional complication to the sisters’ lives, as well as an additional tie to their legacy.
Over the summer, Dionne and Phaedra face challenges caused by both of their parents and learn about themselves and the culture that they came from. It’s a traditional coming-of-age in the best sense.
