Not my usual choice but I was pleasantly surprised

• Book: The Long Song
• Location: Jamaica
• Author: Andrea Levy

My experience reading books of a similar subject matter has often been that extensive detail and slow plot development spoil what is otherwise a great story. Fearing the worst, I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading ‘The Long Song’. I enjoyed the style of writing, which is consistently optimistic and, in places, humorous, despite the brutal hardships that are related.
The book follows the life of a house slave named July. The story is told through her eyes, now an elderly lady looking back on her life. The story is punctuated by sections where the narrator talks in the present, often to complain about her meddlesome son who insists on providing his input. The mischievous July depicted in the story is identifiable in the crafty old woman, who hides in the shed while her son reads the latest controversial instalment of her story.
Andrea Levy wrote ‘The Long Song’ in an attempt to show people with ancestors who were slaves that they should be proud of their heritage. In this respect I think the author was very successful. July proves herself to be a very strong woman and far more capable than her mistress, Caroline Mortimer. In fact, Caroline is entirely dependent our savvy July.
I have read a review or two which complained that the dialect of the slaves was difficult to understand. Personally, I didn’t find this an issue and I think it would have been a mistake not to convey the difference in speech between the slave masters and the slaves.
Levy’s description of Jamaica usually comes second to the main plot. On many occasions location is used to emphasise the distinction between the lifestyle of the whites and the slaves or to highlight the injustice of the freed slaves who were forced to resettle miles from their homes on small areas of arid land. Levy thus conveys a clear picture of the life of plantation workers, but ‘The Long Song’ is not the best choice for those looking to learn about the Jamaican landscape and scenery. The focus lies not with the location, but with the lives and attitudes of Jamaican slaves.
There were occasional lulls in the story but overall, a captivating read.

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