Rose's review
Small Island: A Novel
by Andrea Levy
Rose's review
Small Island: A Novel by Andrea Levy
Rose's review
rating:
This is a fantastic book! I can see why it was chosen for Read 2007, Britain’s largest ever community-based reading project with the backing of Arts Council England taking place across 4 major cities. It is linked to the 2007 commemorations of the 200th anniversary of the passing of the Slave Trade Abolition Bill – a year that is being used to explore the legacy of slavery and its continuing impact upon modern Britain. Andrea Levy’s widely acclaimed and award-winning novel describes the arrival in post-war Britain of black Jamaican immigrants. It addresses the themes of identity, racial awareness, forgiveness, ignorance and survival. It is funny, dramatic, and full of surprises. After I finished reading it I understood how prejudice in the US differs from British forms. The long shadow of colonialism dominates Britian--a more civilized Xenophobia--as opposed to American in your face racism. This is a haunting book.
