Departure Story: A Novel by Rowana Abbensetts - Reviewed by Sacha T. Y. Fortuné

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In Departure Story: A Novel, Rowana Abbensetts writes a gentle identity and self-discovery by the pains of modern relationships.

Synopsis

Love knows no borders and comes in the most unexpected packages. Celestine Samuels is making the biggest trip of her life, from Guyana to the United States for college. At first, she is relieved to get away from her primadonna sister, neglectful mother and troublemaker brother and eager to embrace the new freedoms of the United States like Starbucks, bagels, and wild college parties. Reality sets in when she gets the news that her aunt and uncle in Guyana have been shot in an act of political violence. Unable to go home, Celestine decides to find justice by championing the cause of an African Dance group on her small midwestern campus. Meanwhile, matters of the heart couldn't be more confusing. She finds herself entangled in a situationship with classmate and photographer, Richard Wirth, while she can't help her curiosity about the obnoxiously cocky football star Don Bradford who also happens to be her fellow student council representative. No matter how far she travels, "Home" keeps haunting her dreams, leading her to question unforgivable family secrets, and search for answers she may not want to know.

Book Review: "Departure Story: A Novel" by Rowana Abbensetts

In Departure Story: A Novel, Rowana Abbensetts writes a gentle identity and self-discovery by the pains of modern relationships as experienced by a young Black woman as she tries to navigate these relationships. The author is writing in first person, the protagonist as she dives into the lives of the Caribbean diaspora population who resides in the United States. The story is informative and riveting with deep introspective character building coupled with social commentary on race, belonging, and love.

As much as Abbensetts writes with a strong sense of place, the elements of Caribbean culture, and the culture of African heritage merge with experiences through the characters. His real authenticity will keep readers feeling emotionally invested in the journey taken by the protagonist as he experiences these challenges of mental health. The final aspect covered by the book is that of other challenges of mental health and the intersection issues that come to play along racial and cultural heritage lines. Abbessett's sensitively tender approach makes it possible for her to create a story that strikes a chord and provokes, especially in the case of a reader who has not had such experiences.

Strengths:

Good Character Building: The author is careful about character building. The protagonist gradually develops through the course of the novel. Such growth is riveting and real-to-life because it illustrates the depth of the experience of young adulthood.

Exploration of Identity: The story is masterly explored in terms of race and culture and the struggles faced in the Caribbean diaspora, with a very realistic portrayal of identity.

Socially Relevant: Abbensett brings in elements of mental health and cultural heritage, besides relationships, and hence makes this story interestingly relevant to present-day challenges.

Disadvantages:

Pacing: At times, the thoughtful nature of the narrative tends to make its pace drag along, making this story not very engaging for a reader who would like an action-pace story.

The depth of the secondary characters is lacking in the story since the main character is pretty well-written.

Departure Story: A Novel, in summary, is a rich and evocative novel that gives the reader a profound view of a young woman trying to reconcile her heritage with her identity. Abbensetts' heartfelt and culturally rich narration has made this novel a great contribution to contemporary literature.

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I am Mohammad Faraz. I like to read book more ans more and also review the books.

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Departure Story: A Novel

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