Reviews

Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn

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yikesbmg's review

3.0

This is a book about black, young, queer women; intergenerational mommy issues; immigration and undocumented status; and poverty and the dignity of work. It’s mostly a story about character development and goes deep into Patsy and her daughter Tru. The last few pages are when most conflict comes to a head: I wish it was earlier. I liked it but didn’t love, and it probably won’t be memorable enough to recommend to a friend in a few weeks or months.

heathero621's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This book is about Patsy, a young Jamaican woman that is going to the US to follow her friend, but when she gets to the US, it isn't anything like how she expected. The book also follows her daughter Tru growing up in Jamaica without her mother.

I listened to the audiobook and I liked the narrator and her accent that I think really added to the book. The parts that I didn't like about the audiobook is that sometimes you could tell when they had stopped and restarted the production. The volume would be different or the tone a little off from what it was. It was a little distracting. It is also read really slow and I had to increase the speed to 2.15-2.3, which is usually too fast for me! Onto the book! I thought that this book should've been edited down. There were too many parts for me that were a bit boring and slow moving. I would find my mind wandering a lot during the book and would have to rewind and listen again. I did think that a lot of the story was interesting and I liked getting to know Patsy and Tru's characters.

lsparrow's review

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4.0

I enjoyed this story of love, parenthood, finding oneself. It is not an easy story covering heartbreak, childhood trauma, undocumented immigration, poverty, self harm.
A young women leaves her daughter behind and travels to New York following her childhood best friend/love.
A beautiful story and although I am so glad to no longer have said endings to all the lgbt stories I did feel that everything tied up a little too neatly.

thebobsphere's review against another edition

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4.0

Generally emigrant narratives have the same formula: the character leaves, then has to cope with the new culture, messes up but then adapts. I don’t mind it but I do wish authors would add something new to this type of plot.

Enter Nicola Dennis-Benn.

Not only does she give the emigrant narrative a new spin but she also adds a new perspective to moving from one’s homeland.

Patsy manages to get a visa and move to the U.S. , however she leaves her 5 year old daughter Tru behind to be cared for by her father and his family. There are reasons for both her big solo move but it’s better to let the reader discover the motivation behind Patsy’s actions.

In the US Patsy encounters the problems that occur when one is an illegal immigrant ; she cannot find a job that pays well, she’s always moving house and at one point she discovers she has alopecia and she can’t do anything about it. At the same time Patsy is discovering who she really is and has to make a couple of choices later on in the book.

Meanwhile Tru is going through problems as well; she cannot accept the fact that she was abandoned by her mother. She is also discovering her sexuality and it is clashing with the typical Jamaican mentality. Although she has accepted the latter, the former still causes pain and Tru is also faced with a choice.

Patsy is beautifully written. I just got enraptured by the rhythm of patois. At times I laughed at Patsy’s antics, at other times I sympathised. I even cheered her on at points during the novel. Tru is more intense. There were moments where I felt sorry for her confusion and feelings of abandonment. These are realistic characters with good and bad points and they make reading the book a more immersive experience.

Not only is Patsy an emigrant narrative but it is a coming of age story and a poignant one at that. I also appreciate the fact that a lot of the book is based in Jamaica and gives a clearer picture of what the situation is like there. When an author manages to write about their homeland in such a realistic way, it just takes the reading experience to new levels. Patsy is a winner in every way.