Jamaica Ginger and Other Concoctions
A commanding short story collection, Caribbean Canadian Nalo Hopkinson’s Jamaica Ginger and Other Concoctions blends ecological awareness, cultural heritage, and fantastical happenings.
In the mordant story “Clap Back,” Wenda, an art student, collects racist Black American objects for an exhibit. She brushes each with a mixture of lethal bacteria, “plasticizers, amino acids, and dissolved glucose.” The items come to life with liberated vengeance: “cooning rictus” grins relax into natural smiles, while stereotypical watermelon slices are “drop-kicked into the air.”
In “Pocket Universe,” elderly Sadika works with an “artist caseworker” to design her final resting place. As her brain is scanned for sensations to create a relevant “burial house,” Sadika remembers the salty delight of her grandmother’s red peas soup. She also recalls her time as a sex worker with pride; while on “the stroll,” she supported herself and her children with her skills and the pleasure she offered. And “Jamaica Ginger” (coauthored by Nisi Shawl) is set in quasi-historical New Orleans, where Nikola Tesla–inspired receivers, wireless transmitters, and automatons challenge the antiquity of kerosene lamps and train porters. Here, a woman uses her fascination with machinery to push past the limitations that society places on her gender.
Climate change is a recurring theme: there are diseased, parched landscapes and ravaging floods. Many of the characters are resourceful women of color who are determined to improve their troubled environments; they summon remarkable scientific, technological, and mechanical abilities to heal others and solve problems.
Enriched with a marrow of emotion, the short stories of Jamaica Ginger and Other Concoctions move beyond bleak dystopian landscapes into a curious universe marked by damage and possibility.
Reviewed by
Meg Nola
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
