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Sleep On, Beloved
When Cecil Foster's No Man in the House was published, E. Annie Proulx proclaimed that "he shows the brave characters of West Indian women as no one else has." Now, in Sleep On, Beloved, Foster tells the moving story of a Caribbean immigrant woman who leaves behind everything in order to build a better life for her family.
Ona Morgan is a passionate, determined woman who leaves her Jamaican home, her friends and traditions, and her newborn daughter, Suzanne, to come to North America. Thwarted by the demons of bad luck, lack of money, and an unfortunate marriage, Ona is plunged into an alien culture and a painful struggle against racism. As her young daughter grows up in Jamaica, devotedly cared for by her beloved grandmother, Ona must defer her plans to bring Suzanne to Toronto again and again.
It takes twelve long years before Suzanne and Ona are reunited. But Suzanne cannot warm to this mother who left her behind, and who never prepared her for the harsh realities of life in North America. Now Ona is left to struggle with the rebelliousness of her beloved daughter.
Ona and Suzanne find themselves locked in battle, each too proud and too damaged to ask for help. Suzanne punishes her mother by hiding the obedient, devout Suzanne of Jamaica and creating a new, urban Suzanne--hard, rebellious, and detached. It is only when Ona, overwhelmed by worldly pressures, becomes utterly lost that Suzanne allows her true self to emerge--strong, resourceful, and able to rebuild her mother's shattered hopes.
Ona Morgan is a passionate, determined woman who leaves her Jamaican home, her friends and traditions, and her newborn daughter, Suzanne, to come to North America. Thwarted by the demons of bad luck, lack of money, and an unfortunate marriage, Ona is plunged into an alien culture and a painful struggle against racism. As her young daughter grows up in Jamaica, devotedly cared for by her beloved grandmother, Ona must defer her plans to bring Suzanne to Toronto again and again.
It takes twelve long years before Suzanne and Ona are reunited. But Suzanne cannot warm to this mother who left her behind, and who never prepared her for the harsh realities of life in North America. Now Ona is left to struggle with the rebelliousness of her beloved daughter.
Ona and Suzanne find themselves locked in battle, each too proud and too damaged to ask for help. Suzanne punishes her mother by hiding the obedient, devout Suzanne of Jamaica and creating a new, urban Suzanne--hard, rebellious, and detached. It is only when Ona, overwhelmed by worldly pressures, becomes utterly lost that Suzanne allows her true self to emerge--strong, resourceful, and able to rebuild her mother's shattered hopes.
325 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1995
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August 3, 2018
The old adage that admonishes us to not judge a book by its cover certainly applies to Sleep On, Beloved. Even when I read the summary on the cover I wasn’t expecting the book to be so deep. The novel has two themes: the dynamics among several generations of a family and the clash of cultures brought on by racism. What I found interesting, yet unexpected, was the similarities between the racism here in the United States and the racism & cultural clashes in Canada.
This book is one of the best I’ve read that honestly discusses racism, its causes, and views held by White Canadians versus those held by Canadian Afro-Caribbeans. When I began the book I wasn’t sure I would like it, but within a few pages I couldn’t put it down. The Black community endures the same indignities in Canada as here: employment is difficult to get, the citizen process is not for the weak. The family dynamics between the three women who are the main characters representing three generations. A teenage mother leaves Jamaica and travels to Canada hoping to start a new life so she can bring her daughter to join her. This relationship is an example of all the hoops and barriers Blacks must overcome to become a Canadian citizen. Then there is tremendous culture shock for the young daughter when she arrives. At school she is put back in a lower grade because the educators feel that the patois Suzanne speaks is an indication of her low intelligence.
The author, Cecil Foster is a Canadian from the West Indies which gives the story authenticity. I’ve read a few other books by different authors writing about the same demographics but this novel was the best.
This book is one of the best I’ve read that honestly discusses racism, its causes, and views held by White Canadians versus those held by Canadian Afro-Caribbeans. When I began the book I wasn’t sure I would like it, but within a few pages I couldn’t put it down. The Black community endures the same indignities in Canada as here: employment is difficult to get, the citizen process is not for the weak. The family dynamics between the three women who are the main characters representing three generations. A teenage mother leaves Jamaica and travels to Canada hoping to start a new life so she can bring her daughter to join her. This relationship is an example of all the hoops and barriers Blacks must overcome to become a Canadian citizen. Then there is tremendous culture shock for the young daughter when she arrives. At school she is put back in a lower grade because the educators feel that the patois Suzanne speaks is an indication of her low intelligence.
The author, Cecil Foster is a Canadian from the West Indies which gives the story authenticity. I’ve read a few other books by different authors writing about the same demographics but this novel was the best.
Displaying 1 of 1 review