Here Comes the Sun

Capturing the distinct rhythms of Jamaican life and dialect, Nicole Dennis- Benn pens a tender hymn to a world hidden among pristine beaches and the wide expanse of turquoise seas. At an opulent resort in Montego Bay, Margot hustles to send her younger sister, Thandi, to school. Taught as a girl to trade her sexuality for survival, Margot is ruthlessly determined to shield Thandi from the same fate. When plans for a new hotel threaten their village, Margot sees not only an opportunity for her own financial independence but also perhaps a chance to admit a shocking secret: her forbidden love for another woman. As they face the impending destruction of their community, each woman fighting to balance the burdens she shoulders with the freedom she craves must confront long-hidden scars. From a much-heralded new writer, Here Comes the Sun offers a dramatic glimpse into a vibrant, passionate world most outsiders see simply as paradise."

Review :
The book vividly captures the fraught dynamics of familial and romantic relationships . . . Poignant. Impossible to forget. . . . Dennis-Benn s writing is as lush as the island itself. . . . [She] knows how to make the women so complex that we believe every hairpin turn of her plot.--Caroline Leavitt" Here Comes the Sun is a moving portrait of a Jamaican family and community wrestling with the great questions in life - how to live and love freely in a world filled with obstacles to both. Nicole Dennis-Benn's exploration of Caribbean women's desires for themselves and each other is an important contribution to our literature. --Naomi Jackson, author of The Star Side of Bird Hill Here Comes the Sun is every bit as dazzling as its title suggests. Nicole Dennis-Benn draws us so deeply into the fates of her unforgettable characters that we can t help but dream, suffer, celebrate, and grieve alongside them. Each page of this terrific debut vibrates with power, heart, and unflinching honesty I couldn t put it down, yet didn t want it to end. --Mia Alvar, author of In the Country" Here Comes the Sun, like its main character Margot, stuns at every turn, especially when you think you have it figured out. It's about women pushed to the edge, Jamaica in all its beauty and fury and more than anything else, a story that was just waiting to be told. --Marlon James, author of A Brief History of Seven Killings Similarities to fellow Caribbean writer Edwidge Danticat, or early V.S. Naipaul, are plentiful .[A] rich, accomplished novel.--Kenneth Champeon" With eloquent prose and unsentimental clarity, Dennis-Benn offers an excellent reason to look beyond the surface beauty of paradise. This novel is as bracing as a cold shower on a hot day.--Connie Olge From the book's opening scenes, the author conjures vivid and passionate characters .Similarities to fellow Caribbean writer Edwidge Danticat, or early V.S. Naipaul, are plentiful .[A] rich, accomplished novel.--Kenneth Champeon" A finely written (and very much enjoyable) novel. [A] striking portrayal of a vibrant community where everyone is related and every action reverberates, and [an] unstinting description of how shame whips desire into submission. A tale of unforgettable Jamaican women fighting for selfhood and independence.--Hope Wabuke Betrayal, forbidden trysts, innocence lost: for two Jamaican sisters wrestling with identity and womanhood, life in a seemingly postcard-perfect paradise is a lot more complicated than it looks. Dennis-Benn has delivered a really special read with this one.--Melissa Ragsdale Dennis-Benn reveals a sure hand, creating a world she knows well, while offering intimate portraits of characters readers will care deeply about even as their struggles lead to less than stellar choices. An impressive debut. Her prose is lyrical and vibrant, but Dennis-Bennhas a deeper purpose, and she takes the reader on a trip that is impossible to forget.--Molly McArdle" Here are visceral, profound writing and invigorating characters. Here, too, is the deep and specific sensation of experience Haunting and superbly crafted, this is a magical book from a writer of immense talent and intelligence." Remember this title: It'll likely be the buzzword in all upcoming literary awards competitions. Dennis-Benn writes movingly about the ways in which social distinctions and stigmas limit individual freedom, and the tradeoffs that keep fragile hopes alive.--Jane Ciabattari An indelible portrait of a woman in motion. Nicole Dennis-Benn has created in Margot a fierce and fearless striver. A fantastic debut.--Laila Lalami, author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Moor's Account Here Comes the Sun is a moving portrait of a Jamaican family and community wrestling with the great questions in life - how to live and love freely in a world filled with obstacles to both. Nicole Dennis-Benn's exploration of Caribbean women's desires for themselves and each other is an important contribution to our literature. --Naomi Jackson, author of The Star Side of Bird Hill Here Comes the Sun is every bit as dazzling as its title suggests. Nicole Dennis-Benn draws us so deeply into the fates of her unforgettable characters that we can t help but dream, suffer, celebrate, and grieve alongside them. Each page of this terrific debut vibrates with power, heart, and unflinching honesty I couldn t put it down, yet didn t want it to end. --Mia Alvar, author of In the Country" Here Comes the Sun, like its main character Margot, stuns at every turn, especially when you think you have it figured out. It's about women pushed to the edge, Jamaica in all its beauty and fury and more than anything else, a story that was just waiting to be told. --Marlon James, author of A Brief History of Seven Killings