Book Description:
Can your heart belong somewhere that you’ve never called home?
When Erica gets a phone call to say her mother, Ione, is ill in St Lucia, she knows she must go to her. Though the island – the place of her mother’s birth – is somewhere that Erica has never seen as her homeland.
Even when the plane touches down in the tropical paradise, with its palm trees swaying in the island breeze, the sound of accents so like her mother’s own calling loud in the air, Erica doesn’t find herself wanting to stay a moment longer than she has to.
But stepping into her mother’s house, she is shocked by what she finds. Her mother’s memory is fading, her once-immaculate house is now dirty and messy, and she’s refusing help from anyone but family. And Erica knows she must stay with her, even though it means leaving everything else behind.
What she doesn’t know is that – even as her mother’s memories get worse – Ione still has a final gift for her daughter. Because the unspoken secrets of their past are about to emerge, changing everything Erica thought she knew about her mother, her home, and who she really is…
A captivating tale of grief, love, and what it means to find home, perfect for fans of Andrea Levy, Jojo Moyes and Amanda Prowse
When Erica gets a phone call to say her mother, Ione, is ill in St Lucia, she knows she must go to her. Though the island – the place of her mother’s birth – is somewhere that Erica has never seen as her homeland.
Even when the plane touches down in the tropical paradise, with its palm trees swaying in the island breeze, the sound of accents so like her mother’s own calling loud in the air, Erica doesn’t find herself wanting to stay a moment longer than she has to.
But stepping into her mother’s house, she is shocked by what she finds. Her mother’s memory is fading, her once-immaculate house is now dirty and messy, and she’s refusing help from anyone but family. And Erica knows she must stay with her, even though it means leaving everything else behind.
What she doesn’t know is that – even as her mother’s memories get worse – Ione still has a final gift for her daughter. Because the unspoken secrets of their past are about to emerge, changing everything Erica thought she knew about her mother, her home, and who she really is…
A captivating tale of grief, love, and what it means to find home, perfect for fans of Andrea Levy, Jojo Moyes and Amanda Prowse
My thoughts:
The main character, Erica, leads a busy and fulfilling life in London. She is the Deputy Head of her school, is good friends with her boss and knows she stands a good chance of being promoted to her post when she retires. Her daughter, Millie, is grown and independent, leading a good life of her own. Meanwhile her mother, Ione, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's type dementia and chose to return to the place of her birth, St Lucia. Erica travels to see her during school holidays, knowing that Ione's sister lives close by to keep an eye out for problems. It is the sort of smaller community where everyone knows everyone and it is where her mother considers to be home. However, inevitably dementia progresses and Aunt Betty phones Erica, so that she gets permission to fly out before the school holidays begin to try and sort out her mother's predicament.
Dementia is a cruel and challenging disease. Erica is faced with difficult situations and decisions, but she also has the opportunity to reflect on what matters most in her own life and what her future holds.
There is a strong sense of place in this book. I have never been fortunate enough to visit St Lucia, nor indeed the Caribbean, but Steffanie Edward paints a vivid picture of life on the island and it sounds glorious: the heat, the sea, the tropical fruits and flowers.
I really enjoyed reading this story and thought it balanced loss and hope superbly. An excellent read.
Steffanie Edward was born in St Lucia, brought up in London and now straddles between the two.
Anancy, Crick-crick and other Caribbean folk stories have been a part of her life since childhood. In her late teens, she enjoyed reading Susan Howatch and nooks on slavery. Her absolute favourite reads have been Wild Seed by Octavia E Butler, and Woman at Point Zero by Naawal El Saadawi.
Her writing career started with short stories, five of which have been published. Her first attempt at writing a novel was over twenty years ago, whilst living and working in Abu Dhabi. That novel, Yvette, didn't make it into print, but the main protagonist, Yvette, has muscled her way into Stephanie's debut novel, This Other Island.
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