Girl, Woman, Other - Bernadine Evaristo

 

The story of 12 Black British women spread across Britain and other continents.

Amma, a lesbian who started her drama troupe and is putting up the grand mega show of her latest play - The Last Amazon of Dahomey.

Yazz, Amma’s teenage daughter, is at the university. Born to a gay father, Roland and a lesbian Amma.

Dominique, Amma’s partner with whom she started the drama troupe. She later moves away from her when she finds solace in Nzinga.

Carole, is a hardworking woman who found her way into the top of the corporate world. A daughter of Nigerian parents, and marries a white man against their wish.

Bummi, Carole’s mom, had to work her ass off sweeping floors to get a good education for her daughter. A bisexual who found solace in another woman in her later life.

LaTisha, Carole’s classmate, who is a supermarket manager. She became a mom at 16 and got thrown out of her house. Have three kids from different relationships.

Shirley, Amma’s unglamorous friend, the strict teacher at Carole and LaTisha’s school. She helps Carole to get back to her studies once she falters. 

Winsome, Shirley’s mother from the Caribbean, has an affair with Lennox, Shirley’s husband. She was once in Britain and worked as a ticket checker to bring her kids up.

Penelope, Shirley’s senior colleague from school, who, at first, is not always in agreement with her. But later they become friends. She gets the shock of her life from her parents when they tell her that she was adopted. 

Megan/Morgan, a transgender man who was born female and later changed sex. He meets Bibi, who was born male and became a woman. He is the great-grandson of nonagenarian Hattie, the only person who recognises them in their family.

Hattie, is the matriarch of the family that owns Greenfields Farms, which is spread across acres of land in the Northumbrian countryside. She holds a secret in her life, a secret which is very pivotal to the climax.

Grace, who came into the world courtesy of a seaman from Abyssinia, is Hattie’s mother. Grace never knew who her father was. She married Joseph Rydendale who owned the farms. Hattie was her only kid who survived.

This novel is the story of these 12 women, who have struggled to live a respected life, be it due to their colour or their sexual orientation. While it may seem that Amma’s play is the centre point of the book, it is just a melting pot for some of the characters to get back and rekindle their relationships. Each of these characters is individually strong and their own story is told from their chapter and other chapters. The last few pages of the book are where the novel takes it to a different level and concludes. Truly, a masterpiece. 

It is also the history of Britain. The differential treatment of Black people across the country is depicted in this novel. The writing is freewheeling and bold. Bernadine uses different writing techniques to convey different experiences. She calls the technique fusion fiction. It may take time to get used to this sort of writing, but 10-15 pages in you are all set for great storytelling.

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