Brown Girl in the Ring

by Nalo Hopkinson

[nannah]

(4.5)

Thank you so much, , for letting me borrow some books during this quarantine period! And what a book, too. This is the kind of book I’ve been wanting to read for a really long time. The atmosphere, the involvement of gods that aren’t caricatures, the character growth, etc. It’s all beautifully done and wonderfully written!

Content warnings:
- transmisogynistic violence
- drug use
- domestic abuse (in chapter header poems)
- n slur
- romani slur

Representation:
- the main character, her family, and her lover is black
- there is a romani side character
- many other secondary & side characters are black & diverse as well (LGBT; other ethnicities mentioned in passing)

Now that the government and the wealthy have abandoned Toronto and barricaded the poor and less privileged inside, the inner city has become home to old-world farming, trade, and religion. It’s also home to body harvesting, with so many street kids running around ready for the picking. When one wealthy politician from the suburbs outside needs a heart transplant, Ti-Jeanne and her grandmother become involved with the city’s posse and its schemes. Soon, they’ll have no one else to turn to except for the gods and rituals Ti-Jeanne has been trying to avoid her entire life.

So, again, this is the type of book I’ve been LONGING for for YEARS. A mature book with an in-depth world respectfully dealing with religion and gods interacting with the characters. Nalo Hopkinson has been on my to-read list for forever, and I’m so glad this novel was sent to me because it made me read it now. This is the kind of god-respecting mythology book we’ve all been needing! Finally, something that respects the religion it borrows from instead of taking whatever you please and turning gods into caricatures of themselves for your own use. Especially a religion that is still in use today, such as this book’s “vodun”, practiced by about 30 million people in West Africa.

While it took me a good while to warm up to Ti-Jeanne, the protagonist (because she was particularly resentful, coarse, and looked down upon others), I especially loved her character arc. I eventually did warm up to her as the book went on and felt very protective of her. In fact, everyone’s characterization is wonderful and well-developed. Some don’t get the ending I expected -- while others get the ones I secretly hoped they would. The book takes you through one hell of a family drama and into some dark waters while it’s at it. But for such a short book, it feels like it packs a huge plot, great world building, and some profound character arcs while not constantly moving at breakneck speed.

There’s not much I don’t like, to be honest (except Ti-Jeanne’s lover, Tony, but as I mentioned before: everyone had their arcs and their roles to play). This is exactly the book I needed at exactly the right moment. I’m so grateful to my friend for letting me borrow it.