BROUGHTUPSY

Alisha Bailey moves easily between English and Jamaican Patois in this debut novel about grief, family, and coming home. After her younger brother dies, 20-year-old Akúa returns to Jamaica to visit the sister she hasn't seen in years. Longing for reconnection and to make sense of their fraught past, she finds home a lot more complicated than she remembered. The story switches frequently between past and present, shifts that are sometimes hard to catch on audio. But Bailey's narration is full of heart and humor, and she puts all of Akúa's sadness, confusion, love, and determination into her voice. This is a thoughtful novel about what connects people to places, and to each other. L.S. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2024]