Several talented novelists have their roots in the Caribbean.

C L R James, Kamau Brathwaite, George Lamming, Beryl Gilroy, Jamaica Kincaid, Marlon James, and Sir Derek Walcott, are just some of the authors who have drawn on their island heritage to produce bestselling books.

Storytelling is an intrinsic part of our collective culture with the region’s rich literary tradition providing a much-needed record of our past and present experiences.

Modern-day Caribbean authors are continuing this impressive legacy – here are some new island-inspired books recommended by the Yello Book Club.

‘How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House’ by Cherie Jones (Barbados)

Cherie Jones’ debut novel was chosen as the February 2021 Book of the Month by Good Morning America and has been described as “enthralling”, “unflinching” and “gripping”.

Set on a beach in Barbados, the story expertly contrasts the experiences of tourists and locals in “paradise”, as the reader enters the disturbing world of Lala Primus and her husband, Adan.

Touching on issues such as race, class, and domestic abuse, this novel is not for the faint-hearted but is a book you will not forget.

‘Patsy’ by Nicole Dennis-Benn (Jamaica)

The second book written by Nicole Dennis-Benn, ‘Patsy’ was published in June 2019, and has won several awards including the 2020 Lambda Literary Award.

Following the journey of Patsy, who leaves her daughter behind in Jamaica to travel to New York, the novel explores “motherhood, immigration, and the sacrifices we make in the name of love.”

If Dennis-Benn’s award-winning debut novel ‘Here Comes the Sun’ announced her literary arrival, this second book has cemented her place as an accomplished writer with a bright future.

‘Everything Inside: Stories’ by Edwidge Danticat (Haiti)

Chosen as one of the books of the year in 2019 by several publications, including Time and Esquire, ‘Everything Inside: Stories’ is a compelling short story collection set in various locations including Port-au-Prince and an unnamed Caribbean island.

Readers are treated to eight absorbing tales centred around the themes of love, life and death, and the regret that sometimes exists in between.

Danticat has been writing for more than 20 years and has won numerous awards, but this book has been described as her best work to date.

‘Girlcott’ by Florenz Webbe Maxwell (Bermuda)

This stunning first novel from Florenz Webbe Maxwell is set in 1959 in her home island of Bermuda.

The coming-of-age story is about teenager Desma Johnson. She is about to turn 16 and secure a top scholarship, when a movement to boycott all cinemas in Bermuda to end racial segregation, forces her to reflect on discrimination and the fear behind the change.

Originally published in 2017, ‘Girlcott’ was recently featured as a ‘must-read book’ in Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine.

‘Love After Love: A Novel’ by Ingrid Persaud (Trinidad and Tobago)

Ingrid Persaud’s sophomore novel is about an unconventional family in Trinidad and their various pursuits of love in all its forms.

Filled with narrative and dialogue in lilting Trinidadian dialect, the book draws on the T&T everyone is familiar with, as well as lesser-known aspects of the country’s diverse people such as insular communities, attitudes to sex and sexual orientation, and Hindu religious practices.

‘Love After Love’ won the 2020 Costa Book Award and has been lauded by critics and writers around the world.

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We hope you enjoy these Yello Book Club recommendations. If you’d like more, please look at our previous suggestions on Caribbean cooking, travel, business, self help, and autobiographical books.

Search FindYello.com for your nearest bookstore.

Sources: Oprah Magazine, LA Times, Good Morning America, Nicole Dennis-Benn, National Public Radio, Repeating Islands, Government of Bermuda, and The Guardian.