How the one armed sister sweeps her house: Book review


Book Review 


Title: How the one-armed sister sweeps her house

Author: Cherie Jones

Genre: Literary Fiction 

 

When a book starts off with a grandmother’s cautionary tale about a girl having lost one of her arms in a forbidden tunnel, it hooks you right away and compels you to read further. 

 

How the one-armed sister sweeps her house is an intense debut novel set in Barbados in the 1980s. The story starts off with a murder on Baxter Beach and how several character’s lives are connected to it. We have Whalen-a wealthy tourist’s widow, Adan-a professional thief who murders him and a detective investigating the case. Amidst all this is the central character-Lala who is trapped in an abusive marriage like her dead mother and has a grandmother who refuses to address her by her name. Things become worse for Lala after her baby’s death and the appearance of her former flame-Tone. The book goes on to explore how Lala deals with the torrid circumstances and tries make a life for herself. 

 

The writing flows seamlessly alternating between timelines and perspectives of different characters. The story is primarily told in third person and occasionally switches to second person in Lala’s sections.  While the author delves into the lives of the characters in detail, she makes it clear that its Lala’s story throughout. She is quiet yet resilient. There are times when her emotions are raw and exposes her vulnerability. Your heart aches for her during those moments when she longs for her dead mother or when she’s mourning over the loss of her baby. Her grandmother is stern and stifling which makes Lala find refuge in the outside world. 

 

Jones’s vivid descriptions of the beach resort setting lends to the horrors depicted in the novel. It’s as atmospheric as it gets. You experience the tumultuous waves, the stinky seaweed and the changing tides. She blends it with problematic issues like burglary, murder, rape, assault and abuse in detail. Its disturbing and haunting as the characters entice you into their tunnels of trauma. What’s interesting is that the story goes beyond just the premises of a women who is a victim of domestic violence. The element of mystery and suspense adds to the thrill of this narrative. 


One of the brighter moments in this otherwise dark plot is the multiple references to Enid Blyton in the sections of Lala’s story. It’s also interesting to observe the parable of the one-armed sister as a lesson to depict the dire consequences of being disobedient or breaking the rules. It could be attributed to loss and survival which are strong themes in the book. 

 

How the One-Armed Sister sweeps her house is poignant and unforgettable. With its poetic language, dialect and tragic tale, it’s bound to tug your heartstrings. 

 

 

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