Review
A
Globe and Mail Best Book
"Goodison is one of the best writers -- Canadian, Jamaican or otherwise -- you've probably never heard of. This should change with the publication of
By Love Possessed, a virtuosic collection of short stories that...will likely stand among the best books released in 2011."
—
National Post"Halfway through Goodison's stunning collection,
By Love Possessed, I realized I was holding my breath. . . .Goodison's alchemy of standard and Jamaican English locates us deep within the consciousness of her people. "
— Donna Bailey Nurse,
Globe and Mail
Book Description
These beautifully crafted stories will introduce readers to the fiction of one of our literary bright lights – Lorna Goodison, the internationally renowned poet and award-winning author of the memoir From Harvey River. In sensuous language textured with the cadences of Creole speech, these stories vividly evoke a world where pride, injustice, love, and unexpected changes of fortune leave their mark but cannot extinguish the human spirit.
When her past lover returns to Jamaica with his Irish bride, a successful businesswoman must contend with her old flame’s renewed courtship. A well-known chanteuse with humble beginnings tells a young female reporter the tale of her life’s great turnaround. In the Pushcart Prize-winning story “By Love Possessed,” Goodison reveals the melancholy and resilience of a woman whose illusions about her dream man come to a disturbing and abrupt end.
With warm humour, empathy, and an unsentimental and perceptive eye for the foibles of human relationships, Goodison immerses us into the lives of an unforgettable community of people as they face challenges both intensely private and universally recognizable.
