Synopses & Reviews
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
“Striking…Here Comes the Sun arrives in the season of the beach read, but 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 - The Miami Herald
Review
“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.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Review
“[A] lithe, artfully-plotted debut....Margot is one of the reasons to read this book. She is a startling, deeply memorable character. All of Ms. Dennis-Benn’s women are. The author has a gift for creating chiaroscuro portraits, capturing both light and dark....Here Comes the Sun is deceptively well-constructed, with slow and painful reveals right through the end.” Jennifer Senior, The New York Times
About the Author
Nicole Dennis-Benn was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. She is a graduate of Cornell University and has an MPH from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. She has been awarded fellowships from Macdowell Colony, Hedgebrook, Lambda, Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, Hurston/Wright, and Sewanee Writers' Conference. She lives with her wife in Brooklyn, New York.
Nicole Dennis-Benn on PowellsBooks.Blog
My father left Jamaica when I was three. We were practically strangers until he suggested I live with him in America while attending college...
Read More»