Review: Frying Plantain by Zalika Reid-Benta

Kara Davis is a girl caught in the middle — of her Canadian nationality and her desire to be a “true” Jamaican, of her mother and grandmother’s rages and life lessons, of having to avoid being thought of as too “faas” or too “quiet” or too “bold” or too “soft.” Set in “Little Jamaica,” Toronto’s Eglinton West neighbourhood, Kara moves from girlhood to the threshold of adulthood, from elementary school to high school graduation, in these twelve interconnected stories. We see her on a visit to Jamaica, startled by the sight of a severed pig’s head in her great aunt’s freezer; in junior high, the victim of a devastating prank by her closest friends; and as a teenager in and out of her grandmother’s house, trying to cope with the ongoing battles between her unyielding grandparents.

I enjoyed this book, even though it wasn’t a genre I’d usually read. It was a quick read, also something I’m not used to. The characters were well conceived and I had no problem relating to them as potentially real people, despite the relatively short novel and the way it was constructed as almost vignettes of interactions, rather than a plot as such.

What did you like best about this book?

The humorous and conversational style of writing appealed to me, as well as the obvious insights into the makeup of the characters.

What did you like least about this book?

No reflection on the book, but I’m so used to reading thriller, crime, fantasy fiction, that I was waiting for the ‘big event’ that never came. There was plenty of conflict to move the story along but I’m not used to reading this genre and constantly expected someone to die or a major crime to take place!

Which characters in the book did you like best?

The three main characters were all likeable in their own way, despite or perhaps because of their all too human failings.

Which characters did you like least?

The nearest thing to a ‘villain’ was a bitchy pre-teen and so it was hard to be anything but mildly irritated by her. None of the characters generated a sufficiently negative reaction to say I disliked them. Was that a flaw in the story? Maybe, but it didn’t detract from the book.

Share a favourite quote from the book. Why did this quote stand out?

“All you do is talk, you know? Just chat, chat, chat, chat, chat, pick pick, pick, pick, pick. I can’t wait to die to get away from your wretched mouth.”

Like a lot of the excellent dialogue this minor outburst from the grandfather seemed plausible and yet their behaviour belied the expressed dislike. The kind of contradictions that exist in real life (whatever that is!).

Would you read another book by this author? Why or why not?

Probably not, because I feel there was something missing for me. Largely because it centred around three female characters and, being male, relating to them, their experience, and their relationships, was more an intellectual experience than a shared or empathic one.

What feelings did this book evoke for you?

Strangely enough I could recognise the pattern of love based mutual destruction generated by the strong matriarchal figures because I was raised in a family where the strongest ‘characters’ were all women and the potential for these kinds of interactions was always there, if only occasionally and understated.

If you got the chance to ask the author of this book one question, what would it be?

How autobiographical was the story?

Which character in the book would you most like to meet?

The grandmother because she was by far the most rounded character and I think I’d like to know more about her relationship with the almost ne’er-do-well grandfather.

Which places in the book would you most like to visit?

The book is set almost entirely in Toronto, Canada, but because the main characters are all of Jamaican extraction there are numerous references to Jamaica and the Caribbean. I’m not sure Jamaica would be on my bucket list (if I had one), but I certainly enjoyed the insight into life in an ethnic community in Canada. Especially the noticeable, if somewhat subdued, nostalgic link with British royalty and culture that was probably maintained because I imagine Canada has somewhat of a similar Commonwealth connection.

How original and unique was this book?

It wasn’t, for me, an especially unique story. The main characters can be found widely across many other memoirs or ‘kitchen sink’ type fiction – controlling grandmother, mother who started a family too early causing disappointment and an element of resentment, and daughter who struggled to relate to both mother and grandmother. Having said that, the stories, because it is a series of linked stories really, were well crafted and the interactions were still insightful in a way. Especially for a debut novel.

If you could hear this same story from another person’s point of view, who would you choose?

Definitely the grandmother, as I mentioned, I think she has a story worth telling.

Had you heard about the book before starting it?

My other half had read and really enjoyed it and I read it on her recommendation, despite not being in step with my usual reading choices.

Did this book seem realistic?

Absolutely. At no stage did it jar you out of the story or give the impression that you were reading fiction.

How well do you think the author built the world in the book?

I have no experience of the setting for the book and so I’m not sure if I can truthfully answer this question. Other than to say it seemed very real and in keeping with the characters and their lives. Mentioning stores and brands that are familiar to me may have made the setting real even if it wasn’t as accurate as a Toronto resident might feel it is.

Did the characters seem believable to you? Did they remind you of anyone?

As I mentioned already, the female characters were certainly reminiscent of some of the matriarchal characters in my own family.

What aspects of the author’s story could you most relate to?

Definitely the controlling behaviour of both the mother and grandmother. Also, the sense of being outside the group the main character feels would be one a lot of people would have felt at some stage growing up.

Why do you think the author chose to tell this story?

I imagine the motivation was to tell a good story to begin with, but I suspect her community is one that is rarely seen in fiction and she felt it was worth sharing her insights into that particular ethnic group. I have to say I agree with her if that was indeed the reason.

You may have noticed I changed the format for this review based on some of the questions for book groups formulated by bookriot.com, so many thanks to them. Let me know if you found the new format informative.