Girl, Woman, Other
Bernardine Evaristo
Genre: Women’s, LGBTQ Literature
Publisher: Hamish Hamilton
Watch the breakdown
You’re introduced first to Amma, a struggling creative who after decades of being on the outside has her play, The Last Amazon of Dahomey commissioned by the National Theatre. The book begins with that, but it’s really the finale in what has been a long time coming for various of the women. 12 Black British woman’s lives are explored throughout the book leading them to the theatre to watch a new chapter begin. Some of the women have a direct connection with the others, and some very distant. How would you describe a Black woman? Would a Black woman’s experience be the same in the 50s, 80s, 90s, and even now? What are her traits? Her job? Who does she date? What is her bank balance saying? This fiction book covers the stories of Black women, with some including the known stereotypical thoughts but providing challenges and angles that make you look at the process of the painting and not just the finished picture. This book explores queer Black women and their communities, the widowed Black women and their journeys, the “stoosh” black woman who has had to work ten times as hard to get to her position, and many more.
“For the sisters & the sistas
& the sistahs & the sistren
& the women & the womxn
& the wimmin & the
womyn & our brethren &
our bredrin & our brothers
& our bruvs & our men & our mandem & the
LGBTQI+ members of the human family”
Is that how you’re feeling yeah?!
I channelled Issa Rae on the “I’m rooting for everyone black” so when I saw that Bernardine Evaristo was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2019 I was involved and rooting for her. When she won I was happy. *Peers out.. is it safe? I hadn’t actually read the book at the time * But she did it for the people dem! I’m writing this review after reading the book for the second time. 6 months apart.
Some won’t understand why I pledged such an allegiance. I’ll ask you to look back at how many Black women, let alone Black people have been longlisted or shortlisted in the past 50 years for this prize. Or even going deeper, how many books have you read where Black women have been the front, centre and left and aren’t labelled as a niche genre.
Bernardine has managed to smash down and incorporate a realistic version of the ever evolving different black women. She’s shown us individuals journeys, sprinkled in a variety of cultures and dashed them all in the English pot.
I learned about communities of people that aren’t in my circle and it served as a good reminder that yes I have the race element in common with Black women, but there are other categories and sections that I know completely nothing about.
I loved, loved, loved this book. Yes, there was a point that I started to lose focus. When too many names and characters come up it makes my head fuzz, and my one down point of the book is that it had too many characters. But, the characters felt real, some even a little too real and when it came round full circle it all made sense to me. Bernardine’s style of writing in this book is curly haired and flowing which I really appreciated. As a reader you’re not having to focus on full stops and perfect punctuation and it matched the content of the book.
Favourite Chapter
My favourite chapters were those that focused on the older women. They felt more gripping and detailed. Bummi’s chapter in particular I really loved. I’ve been a Yazz, I entered the wokeness, it’s a continuous journey to stay woke. And I’ve known a few too many LaTisha’s growing up but, seeing the world and experiencess through Hattie, Grace, Bummi and Winsome really pulled me all the way into the book. I try to break the cycle, but it’s so easy to label your mum and grandma, forgetting that they had a life before you and they also have a whole side of them that exists away from you. These characters reminded me of the different angles and behaviours that can happen at any age and made the characters so relatable. On the other hand, it also provided that extra context to understand why people think and act in a certain way. Bummi was a perfect example of this - I understood Bummi’s vision and dreams for her daughter in England on an emotional level because the chapter opened up Bummi’s childhood. Instead of seeing a parent pushing her dreams on to her child as a form of dictatorship, I saw a woman who would die for her child and genuinely wanted to see her shine.
“Carole, have I raised a fighter or a quitter?
you must return to the university and get
your degree by hook or by crook or I
cannot vouch for the consequences of my actions”
Character Wildness
If I could sum up my thoughts of some of the characters in a hashtag.
Winsome- #You did what now?
Penelope- #Ya average racist… next!
Amma - #Badass for life
Dominique - #You are stronger than your situation
Carole - #A rose grew from the concrete
Length
453 pages later and I can say with my chest that the book was a banger. Bernardine’s artistic ways are so magical.
Seasoning Level
CO2 | Salt | Pepper | Mixed Herbs | All Purpose Seasoning
The maximum seasoning that marinated overnight for that extra sauciness. I definitely tasted some scotch bonnet in there and fresh cinammon.
Questions for the author
1. Will Amma ever move to America?
2. Is Shirley going to ease up on her students now that she finally got her gratitude?
3. Who is your favourite character and why?
The BIG quote
“While troublemaking on the periphery’s all well and good, we also have to make a difference inside the mainstream, we all pay taxes that fund these theatres, right? ”
