Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine EvaristoMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
What, a winding, satisfying ride through lived experience back and forth between mainstream and fringe cultures in the UK. That's about as narrow a brush as one can use to characterize Girl, Woman, Other.
The characters here are interesting and full, frequently finding their way toward some sort of "alternative" lifestyle. They're all working on matters of identity, and the novel is something of a love letter to intersectionality. Whether it's gender, ethnicity, race, sexuality, political, socio-economic or professional, the novel turns a gentle but piercing eye on the ways we perform identity and the ways we grow into it more authentically.
There's a sprawling cast to this novel, and the transitions between characters are not always gentle. But this is a book about sharing stories that have been historically marginalized, and it does it so well that one forgives the fumbled passes between characters when they occur.
It's fierce focus on female friendships, and the families we make and choose placed against those we are born into, makes it reminiscent of City of Girls: A Novel, although Girl, Woman, Other pushes further and asks more of the reader.
View all my reviews
RSS Feed