Sweetness in the Skin by Ishi Robinson

Sweetness in the Skin by Ishi Robinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ishi Robinson has accomplished an incredible feat of creating nuanced neighbourhoods and relationship conflicts here. The author’s choice to write in first person makes the unfamiliar (to me) places, cultures and dialects of Jamaica accessible to anyone reading. There are so many layers to classism, and systemic bias in the schooling and general social behaviour of the characters, and Pumkin’s point of view is navigating each one. It’s about survival, and self-discovery and Pumkin manages a lot of that on her own. Pumkin’s ambition and optimism are what readers will love about her. It places no blame really and it’s nice to have a truly deep discovery of self with no archetypal bad guys in the mix. A masterful example of writing here — young adults and adults will enjoy this title.

View all my reviews