Author(s): Cherie Jones

Fiction

It takes courage to survive in a world full of trouble... In Baxter's Beach, Barbados, Lala's grandmother Wilma tells the story of the one-armed sister, a cautionary tale about what happens to girls who disobey their mothers. For Wilma, it's the story of a wilful adventurer, who ignores the warnings of those around her, and suffers as a result. When Lala grows up, she sees it offers hope - of life after losing a baby in the most terrible of circumstances and marrying the wrong man. And Mira Whalen? It's about keeping alive, trying to make sense of the fact that her husband has been murdered, and she didn't get the chance to tell him that she loved him after all. How the One-armed Sister Sweeps her House is the powerful, intense story of three marriages, and of a beautiful island paradise where, beyond the white sand beaches and the wealthy tourists, lies poverty, menacing violence and the story of the sacrifices some women make to survive.

CONSTANT READER REVIEW: RICHARD

This is the story of three generations of women from one poor family in Barbados. It’s a savage story of almost unimaginable institutionalised violence. This is the first novel by Jones, a Barbadian lawyer. Jones, writes with elegance, compassion and restraint while describing the unthinkable. She lights a match to a tinderbox of gender, race, and class issues while humanising her cast at every turn.

Starting with a sudden act of violence in 1984, Jones jumps between characters and decades to weave a web of family violence. Jones creates a sense of inevitability, of people making the best of their limited options. Sometimes bad choices are the only options available.

For all the darkness Jones shows the strength and courage in her characters and kept me wanting to turn the pages.