FICTION

These Ghosts Are Family

by Maisy Card
S. & S. Mar. 2020. 288p. ISBN 9781982117436. $26. F
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DEBUT Stanford Solomon is not who he says he is. Beginning life as Abel Paisley, he left Jamaica for London in 1970 so that he could earn more money for his family and escape his unhappy marriage. A freak accident in London allowed him to assume his partner’s identity and fake his own death. He then started a new life in New York, married again, and created a new family. More than three decades later, circumstances compel him to bring his families together and let them in on his secret. His revelation meets with mixed reactions, explained by each participant traveling back in time to tell their own story. Card weaves a multigenerational narrative that tackles racism, colonialism, slavery, immigration, infidelity, and family ties—and just about every other issue of the modern age.
VERDICT Set in both Jamaica and New York, this debut novel effectively reveals contrasting cultures and customs. Though the Jamaican patois requires close attention, readers of general fiction will enjoy unraveling the threads of this complex tale. [See Prepub Alert, .
Reviewed by 8/5/19.]Joanna Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Libs., Providence , Feb 01, 2020

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