It is the sharp turn of the twentieth century, and Barbados is an island emptying out, as young men chase their fortunes on the Panama Canal or a merchant’s vessel, and women seek the promise held in passage to the United States. In striking contrast, New York is an island swelling with hopeful arrivals from foreign shores keen to make their way on level soil. In the thick of this rush is young Ruth Adele “Dellie” Standard, an immigrant eager to be freed from the cycles of sugar cane and the whims of the colonial manor to craft a life of her own, one that is far more than a piece of someone else’s. Near the Hope is an evocative debut work of fiction by Jennifer Davis Carey that draws from the author’s Caribbean ancestry to tell Dellie’s story. Blending history, folk practices, and the richness of another place and time, Near the Hope moves from the exotic and lush world of Barbados to the hazy glow of New York in the gaslight era to probe questions of home, family, and what we choose to hold on to and what we choose to let go. While it captures Dellie’s journey with poignancy and authenticity, this deeply affecting and lyrical work also mirrors the narrative of thousands of West Indian women. Like them, abandoning her Caribbean home for a new destiny, Dellie is confronted with a world that often poses as many new challenges as new chances.
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About the Author:
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Jennifer Davis Carey has roots both in the Caribbean and the American South. She has published opinion pieces in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette and a short story in the journal Caribbean Writer. She honed the craft of writing at workshops including Algonkian Writers, Sewanee Writer's Workshop, and Hurston-Wright Foundation Writing Workshop. She also participated in a residency with Voices of our Nation (VONA) and completed coursework at Grub Street in Boston. The author holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Harvard University. Near the Hope is her first novel.
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- PublisherBlue Mongoose Publishing
- Publication date2013
- ISBN 10 0989545091
- ISBN 13 9780989545099
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages250
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