I enjoyed the plot of this book.
It has some interesting and very well-written characters, including Pumkin, the main character. One of the characters is named Candida, an unusual name as its meaning is derived from the fungi.
Other than that, the storyline mainly revolves around Pumkin wanting to leave Jamaica and move to France with her aunt. The novel deals with some serious themes as well, neglect, grief and loss. It also addresses some important themes for youth for example, the importance of education, family and friends.
The story revolves around Pumkin (not her real name) the main character. The initial concealment of Pumkin’s real name is intriguing. The book also addresses the use of pen names, or nicknames in Caribbean culture, as Pumkin points out. Pumkin, the protagonist loves to bake and speak French and intends to combine these two skills to allow her to move to France with her aunt. In particular, I liked the fact that Pumkin herself referred to her own mother by her first name, not mother or mom/mum. This explains well without explicitly stating the negative relationship they have.
What becomes noticeable though, is the lack of focus on other aspects of Pumkin’s life. Her friends’ personalities are not really explored, nor the typical mean girl, Candida. We don’t actually find out about her father, or exactly what happens with her relationship with her mother, Paulette. I feel strongly that the author could have given a brief summary of how that ends. While some aspects of the ending do work, I would have appreciated a more in-depth explanation of the characters and places. There is also a long build-up to find out if Pumkin will pass her entrance test to get the place at the school she wants to attend.
These are fairly small complaints. Overall, this was character driven novel that makes use of Jamaican patois and phrases. There are quotes breaking up the chapters that have Caribbean phrases being explained. I enjoyed this in particular. Especially the transcription into Standard English we get from the audio version.
Four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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