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Brown Girl in the Ring
by
The rich and privileged have fled the city, barricaded it behind roadblocks, and left it to crumble. The inner city has had to rediscover old ways-farming, barter, herb lore. But now the monied need a harvest of bodies, and so they prey upon the helpless of the streets. With nowhere to turn, a young woman must open herself to ancient truths, eternal powers, and the tragic
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Paperback, 250 pages
Published
July 1st 1998
by Grand Central Publishing
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A story so original, Brown Girl In the Ring is hard to classify. I have never heard of Caribbean magic realism. To me this is more sci-fi with a twist of magic. The bleak Toronto hellscape of the future is completely believable, as are the characters who have a complex outer and inner life. None are more complicated than our heroine, Ti-Jeanne. She is a strong girl, devoted to her new baby and her grandmother, but also resentful of them some times. The made up language flows and sounds right to
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Sometimes, it’s a good idea to revisit a book you haven’t read in years. I originally read this book many years ago because the story premise intrigued me: a dystopian Toronto with a young, black woman as its protagonist. This was the first speculative fiction story I had found actually situated in a Canadian city, naming buildings and things I knew of. I was excited, and began reading, then I ran up against my stupid assumptions for speculative fiction at that time, with the biggest bias being,
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"I can't keep giving my will into other people's hands no more, ain't? I have to decide what I want to do for myself."
This is a review of Nalo Hopkinson's 1998 fantasy Brown Girl in the Ring. Spoilers follow, and a discussion of abuse.
So What's It About? (from Goodreads)
"The rich and privileged have fled the city, barricaded it behind roadblocks, and left it to crumble. The inner city has had to rediscover old ways--farming, barter, herb lore. But now the monied need a harvest of bodies, and so ...more
I’m a very big fan of Nalo Hopkinson, having absolutely loved her novel Midnight Robber, and having enjoyed many of her stories in her collection Skin Folk. This novel, her first, featured some of her best qualities: a vividly alive sense of place and culture, and a welcome willingness to blend the mundane with the fantastical. But overall, I couldn’t help but feel that it was a first novel, lacking some of the confidence that was on display in her other work; there was a tendency she seemed to
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The next stop in my end-of-the-world reading marathon was Brown Girl in the Ring, the 1998 debut novel by Nalo Hopkinson, a Jamaican born and Canadian bred author. The book doesn't fit in among the doomsday thrillers I've been reading and to even call this "science fiction" would be false advertising on my part. I was in the mood for something different, a blast of fresh air among the abandoned post-apocalyptic streets, but even by its own standards, the novel really disappointed me.
The story ta ...more
The story ta ...more
This is a dystopian science fiction novel set in the Toronto of the future, where the centre of the city has been isolated and abandoned following riots and is now ruled by a crime lord whilst the rest of society has moved out of the city. The inhabitants of the city get along by barter and people grow things and there is still some trade with the outside world. There is little law and order, plenty of violence and feral children roam the streets, some of whom periodically disappear. The novel r
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This is the second Nalo Hopkinson book that has been a struggle for me to read, and I am really not sure why (this, and Midnight Robber). Neither plot rocked me, nor did I identify with the characters.
I continue to hold out hope, as Ms. Hopkinson is now a Grandmaster, and I have a few of her stories still to read.
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Here, we have a genre hybrid of social SF (abandoned inner-city Toronto) with fantasy elements of spirits and "voodoo" magics (Ms. Hopkinson does both genres excellently) in one wo ...more
I continue to hold out hope, as Ms. Hopkinson is now a Grandmaster, and I have a few of her stories still to read.
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Here, we have a genre hybrid of social SF (abandoned inner-city Toronto) with fantasy elements of spirits and "voodoo" magics (Ms. Hopkinson does both genres excellently) in one wo ...more
Wow wow wow. I’ve encountered Carribean folklore before but never so fleshed out and multi faceted as in this book, where spirits have personality and thought and wants and wishes, all the things I love about Greek and Nordic mythology as well.
“Brown Girl in the Ring” is an apt title for our MC who unwillingly finds herself in the middle of a fight between her ex and his drug lord, the dark magic the boss meddles in, and her own private family drama of a missing mother and a grandmother who’s in ...more
“Brown Girl in the Ring” is an apt title for our MC who unwillingly finds herself in the middle of a fight between her ex and his drug lord, the dark magic the boss meddles in, and her own private family drama of a missing mother and a grandmother who’s in ...more
A near-dystopic version of Toronto with a strong Afro-Caribbean mythos makes for an original, violent and yet very human urban fantasy.
CONTENT WARNING: (no actual spoilers, just a list of topics) (view spoiler)
Things to love:
-Ti-Jeanne and Mami. I think a lot of people would feel a connection to their relationship. They felt honest--flawed, well-meaning, part of a rel ...more
CONTENT WARNING: (no actual spoilers, just a list of topics) (view spoiler)
Things to love:
-Ti-Jeanne and Mami. I think a lot of people would feel a connection to their relationship. They felt honest--flawed, well-meaning, part of a rel ...more
This was amazing. Such a fantastic exciting SFF read. In a future Canada Toronto has collapsed--no food, no electricity, the city a no go zone of survivors just getting by, and ruled by a malevolent crime lord who uses dark magic to get his way. The story centres on one young woman from a Caribbean family whose grandmother is a healer and communicator with the old spirits, plus and the motivating plot driver is the Canadian PM's need for a donor human heart for a transplant. The modern/futuristi
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Brown Girl in the Ring is a standalone fantasy/horror book. This was my first time reading anything by Nalo Hopkinson. Even though I have a couple complaints, I enjoyed the story more and more as it progressed.
There are a few POV characters, but mostly the story focuses on a young, single mother named Ti-Jeanne. She has been having strange, terrifying visions. Meanwhile her ex(ish) deadbeat boyfriend Tony, the father of her young baby, has gotten mixed up with a dangerous posse led by a man who ...more
There are a few POV characters, but mostly the story focuses on a young, single mother named Ti-Jeanne. She has been having strange, terrifying visions. Meanwhile her ex(ish) deadbeat boyfriend Tony, the father of her young baby, has gotten mixed up with a dangerous posse led by a man who ...more
After reading Falling In Love with Hominids, I was determined to go back and read every book Hopkinson has ever written. Brown Girl In the Ring is her first novel, and it’s a powerful beginning to a body of work. It takes place in dystopian Toronto, but it is just as much about the complicated relationships the women in this family have with each other as it is about organ farms. That’s not even mentioning the pantheon of gods that keep trying to force themselves into Ti-Jeanne’s life, while she
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Brown Girl in the Ring is set in a future dystopian Toronto, where the wealthy have fled to the suburbs following a large-scale economic collapse fuelled by failed negotiations with local First Nations communities. Infused with magical realism, it follows Ti-Jeanne as she reconnects with her Caribbean culture, largely via her grandmother, Gros-Jeane (who is, as one may call her, an obeah woman) to take down a local gang lord, Rudy.
At first, I really connected with Ti-Jeanne, a single mother with ...more
At first, I really connected with Ti-Jeanne, a single mother with ...more
Mar 23, 2019
Bogi Takács
added it
Update: I just realized I did not add the link to the finished review here - you can go to tor.com to read it!
https://www.tor.com/2019/04/04/quiltb...
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I think this was my third reread of this book, the first one is pre-Goodreads. Review coming soon in my column at Tor.com, this was a "readers vote with many ticky boxes" choice.
I feel like every time I get something different out of it. This time I found myself thinking this would be such a shoo-in for New Adult (which readers ask for A LOT) but ...more
https://www.tor.com/2019/04/04/quiltb...
*
I think this was my third reread of this book, the first one is pre-Goodreads. Review coming soon in my column at Tor.com, this was a "readers vote with many ticky boxes" choice.
I feel like every time I get something different out of it. This time I found myself thinking this would be such a shoo-in for New Adult (which readers ask for A LOT) but ...more
Brown Girl in the Ring, Nalo Hopkinson's first novel, is an impressive work of imagination. Her Haitian dominated near future Toronto is alive with sights and sounds and smells. Her world of Caribbean magics slamming into cutting edge medical tech really works, channelling a little bit of the old RPG Shadowrun but replacing information for organs. I would recommend it to anyone who loves Sci-Fi or Fantasy or Sci-Fantasy.
But I can't muster much more from my personal response than, "That was okay ...more
But I can't muster much more from my personal response than, "That was okay ...more
Nov 03, 2020
Gretchen Rubin
added it
I read a terrific list of "The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time" and have been tracking down all the ones I haven't yet read; I discovered this excellent novel that way.
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Enjoyed the audiobook. Interesting fusion of near future scifi and Caribbean folklore.
4 Stars
Listened to the audiobook. Peter J Fernandez was very good.
4 Stars
Listened to the audiobook. Peter J Fernandez was very good.
This book is by a Canadian- Caribbean writer and it’s creative, fresh and *new* for being eleven years old. So I’ve got another new to me favorite writer. The ring of the title is the suburbs that the wealthy and middle class fled Toronto to and have taken with them the police, government and left it in the hands of an organized drug lord. Rudy calls on Caribbean dark spirits (obeah) to consolidate his power, but his ex-wife Mami Gros- Jeanne, her daughter Mi-Jeanne and granddaughter Ti-Jeanne w
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Even though some of the SciFi/Dystopian aspects did not make sense to me, it not prevent me from enjoying the novel.The magical elements and the use of Afro-Caribbean folklore and spiritual beliefs made it a compelling read. This was a reread for me and I enjoyed it every much as I did the first time around. Nalo Hopkinson is a gifted writer and I've loved everything I've read from her!
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While this book is shelved as a fantasy here on GR, it is actually more of a horror set in post-apoc.
While a lot of US residents cite Canada as an example of how great he USA could be with more liberal policies (esp. now), this book describes Toronto after riots caused by income inequality. The municipal center is now a lawless zone where poor survive, riddled with addicts and the informal power in hands of a sorcerer. Those with money are living in former suburbs and visit former center only as ...more
While a lot of US residents cite Canada as an example of how great he USA could be with more liberal policies (esp. now), this book describes Toronto after riots caused by income inequality. The municipal center is now a lawless zone where poor survive, riddled with addicts and the informal power in hands of a sorcerer. Those with money are living in former suburbs and visit former center only as ...more
I think I was mostly disappointed by this book because I came to it with really high expectations - I'd read some great reviews of it, comparing Hopkinson favorably to Octavia Butler, etc.
Well, both writers are black and tend to write about black characters, but there the similarity ends.
This is a reasonably entertaining voodoo adventure story... a young Canadian woman of Caribbean descent, Ti-Jeanne, must take care of her baby, ditch the loser drug-addict boyfriend she's in love with, learn to ...more
Well, both writers are black and tend to write about black characters, but there the similarity ends.
This is a reasonably entertaining voodoo adventure story... a young Canadian woman of Caribbean descent, Ti-Jeanne, must take care of her baby, ditch the loser drug-addict boyfriend she's in love with, learn to ...more
I read this and didn’t understand some of what was going on. Have to reread.
i think i responded to this more on account of what i learned from it than on the merits of its prose... which isn't to say it's not an enjoyable novel. it's just a bit flat in a few areas, story-wise (atmosphere, characterizations).
the premise is an interesting one. brown girl in the ring concerns a post-apocalyptic toronto, in which a young mother learns to use her caribbean spiritual roots to bring down a local drug dealer. as sci-fi, it's not terribly concerned with alternate realities. in f ...more
the premise is an interesting one. brown girl in the ring concerns a post-apocalyptic toronto, in which a young mother learns to use her caribbean spiritual roots to bring down a local drug dealer. as sci-fi, it's not terribly concerned with alternate realities. in f ...more
I sat down to read Nalo Hopkinson's Brown Girl in the Ring because it is on a CBC Books List of 100 Novels That Make You Proud To Be A Canadian. I'm working my way through it, slowly, although it is annoying that it skews so heavily towards the recent. And there are certain other themes that I am less than happy about.
Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read ...more
Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read ...more
I enjoyed the folk religion blended with the use of magic. She drew on a vast culture but never info dumped and kept the pace moving. The worldbuilding and political commentary were subtle and on point. She effectively skewers white privilege and makes her case for a very real and disturbing future. A novel of redemption for some and despair for others. But her skill as a novelist keeps you guessing who the saved and who the damned will be.
Been on hiatus because of work and things, but hoping to get more reviews back out. :-) If I owe you an email, I'm getting there. Promise. Anyhow.
3.5 stars. I know this book is classified as science fiction, but honestly, it felt more like urban fantasy to me. At best, it was science-fantasy because it does have some science fiction elements. However, those things aren't nearly as pronounced to me as the fantasy portion of the novel.
Downtown Toronto has abandoned by the Canadian government afte ...more
3.5 stars. I know this book is classified as science fiction, but honestly, it felt more like urban fantasy to me. At best, it was science-fantasy because it does have some science fiction elements. However, those things aren't nearly as pronounced to me as the fantasy portion of the novel.
Downtown Toronto has abandoned by the Canadian government afte ...more
The first sentence of Brown Girl in the Ring contains the line of dialogue, "We want you to find us a viable human heart, fast." It is a white man coming to a black man for help, and it sets into motion a chain of events that will change the lives of many people in the ruins of Toronto.
Brown Girl in the Ring runs a scant 250 pages, but it packs a hell of a lot into those pages. Ti-Jeanne, Our Heroine, has her hands full with a new baby, but her former lover, Tony, gets embroiled in the dealings ...more
Brown Girl in the Ring runs a scant 250 pages, but it packs a hell of a lot into those pages. Ti-Jeanne, Our Heroine, has her hands full with a new baby, but her former lover, Tony, gets embroiled in the dealings ...more
Jun 26, 2012
CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian
rated it
liked it
Shelves:
black,
caribbean,
feminism,
fiction,
queer,
science-fiction,
post-apocalyptic,
toronto,
own,
class
Many writers and other literary types have been concerned as of late with the idea of queering science fiction, fantasy, and other kinds of speculative fiction, which have an unfortunate but not entirely undeserved reputation of glorifying certain kinds of white homophobic masculinity. Being a fairly recent convert to these kinds of non-realist writing, I picked up Jamaican-born Torontonian Nalo Hopkinson’s first novel Brown Girl in the Ring (1998) eagerly. It comes recommended by Octavia Butler
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This book is awesome! Reading this was so easy and Nalo packs in HUGE themes of ethics, Afro-spirituality, immigration, aging, motherhood, poverty, and exploitation. I learned so much about my own Caribbean culture from reading this book based in Toronto, how sway?
I would recommend this book for anyone with an interest in seeing a dystopian world where the spirits and gang lords contend and Afro-Caribbean single mothers are the victors.
P.S.: I hated all the human men in the book :)
I would recommend this book for anyone with an interest in seeing a dystopian world where the spirits and gang lords contend and Afro-Caribbean single mothers are the victors.
P.S.: I hated all the human men in the book :)
This was a solid, quick, 3-star read.
Hopkinson knows how to create and sustain tension and draw interesting characters. Still, I was never completely drawn in and missed a deeper emotional impact.
Hopkinson knows how to create and sustain tension and draw interesting characters. Still, I was never completely drawn in and missed a deeper emotional impact.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Octavia's Very Own: Brown Girl in the Ring Discussion Questions | 2 | 7 | May 21, 2020 05:54PM | |
| SciFi and Fantasy...: "Brown Girl In the Ring" First Impressions *No Spoilers* | 27 | 140 | Feb 10, 2020 09:47PM | |
| SciFi and Fantasy...: "Brown Girl in the Ring" Discuss Everything *Spoilers* | 33 | 112 | Oct 25, 2019 10:45AM | |
| The BBC LBP: Brown Girl in the Ring | 3 | 4 | Jan 01, 2019 07:09PM | |
| Amnesty Internati...: March/April 2018 - Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson | 5 | 31 | Apr 30, 2018 04:43PM | |
| Into the Forest: Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson | 10 | 22 | Sep 07, 2017 09:03AM |
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“The heaviness of loss in her heart hadn't eased, but there was room there for humour, too.”
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“The African powers, child. The spirits. The loas. The orishas. The oldest ancestors. You will hear people from Haiti and Cuba and Brazil and so call them different names. You will even hear some names I ain’t tell you, but we all mean the same thing. Them is the ones who does carry we prayers to God Father, for he too busy to listen to every single one of we on earth talking at he all the time. Each of we have a special one who is we father or mother, and no matter what we call it, whether Shango or Santeria or Voudun or what, we all doing the same thing. Serving the spirits.”
—
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