Frying Plantain

(Paperback)

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A thrillingly universal portrait of a young woman caught between two cultures A thrillingly universal portrait of a young woman caught between two cultures 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 primary 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 high school, 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. A rich and unforgettable portrait of growing up between worlds, Frying Plantain shows how, in one charged moment, friendship and love can turn to enmity and hate, well-meaning protection can become control, and teasing play can turn to something much darker. In her brilliantly incisive debut, Zalika Reid-Benta artfully depicts the tensions between mothers and daughters, second-generation children and first-generation cultural expectations, and Black identity and predominately white society. 'Zalika Reid-Benta announces herself as an enormous voice for the coming decade (and one that is desperately needed). Not all must-read books are this enjoyable.' -Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story and Lake Success 'Sharp-witted and sharp-tongued, Frying Plantain is written in the indelible ink of memory. Zalika Reid-Benta is a masterful storyteller with a light touch, a photographic recall, and a pitch-perfect ear for the ephemera we'd like to think of as youthful, but just can't seem to shake. This is an unforgettable debut.' -Paul Beatty, Booker Prize-winning author of The Sellout 'Reid-Benta's writing is clear, precise, and infused with emotional depth. The characters are complex and well developed - comforting in their familiarity and frustrating in their stubbornness. Reid-Benta masterfully uses Kara's everyday life to highlight the intimate inner workings of her characters, their family dysfunction, and the juxtaposition of Canadian and Jamaican identities.' -Quill & Quire

Author Bio

Zalika Reid-Benta is a Toronto-based writer whose work has appeared on CBC Books, in TOK- Writing the New Toronto, and in Apogee Journal. In 2011, George Elliott Clarke recommended her as a 'Writer to Watch'. She received an M.F.A. in fiction from Columbia University in 2014, and is an alumnus of the 2017 Banff Writing Studio. She completed a double major in English Literature and Cinema and a minor in Caribbean Studies at University of Toronto's Victoria College. She also studied Creative Writing at U of T's School of Continuing Studies. She is currently working on a young-adult fantasy novel drawing inspiration from Jamaican folklore and Akan spirituality.