Print Press
Financial times review . october 2018
“In this exploration of Jamaica and its diaspora, Arthurs masterfully teases out the joys and sorrows of cultural bifurcation. The result is a symphony of voices for the age of globalization.”
oprah magazine review . September 2018
“Mermaids are a fitting metaphor for the women here, still pining for turquoise waters even as they put down roots in Brooklyn or Iowa. Arthurs captures the ambivalence of belonging and displacement.”
new yorker review . September 2018
“Presenting people who are unable to be fully in one place or the other, the stories pose a question about the nature of belonging.”
Guardian Review . August 2018
“Several stories examine US society through the prism of the characters’ motherland, and vice versa.”
vanity fair review . August 2018
“A debut story collection exploring the Jamaican diaspora.”
Essence Magazine review . july/august 2018
“Alexia Arthurs explores a vast range of issues, from race and class to gender and family.”
Entertainment Weekly review . July 2018
“Indeed, the power of ‘Shirley’ is derived not from its real-world parallels but from the way it fits into the broader tapestry that Arthurs weaves in Jamaican— the themes of regret, dissonance, and most potently, longing.”
Marie claire review . july 2018
“This absorbing, engaging collection is the kind of book you rave to your friends because you see so much of yourself, and them, in its characters.”
