Providence Pond Beresford McLean Anancybooks ISBN: 0-9753297-1-5 Fiction, Historical Fiction, Culture Reviewed by Dr. Tami Brady

Providence Pond tells the story of four generations of what could loosely be called a family. These individuals are related by blood, by arrangement, and by adoption (formal and informal). The story begins in 1880 in Providence Pond, a small village in Jamaica, with two young girls beginning their life as adults. Afia has just gotten married but her husband has mysteriously disappeared on her wedding night. The situation quickly becomes more complicated when Afia’s husband returns to a pregnant wife. The father is a man who will eventually marry Afia’s best friend Esi.

This is the second book I’ve read by Beresford McLean and I thoroughly enjoyed both. The author’s writing style is really refreshing and quite unique. The story itself is complexly woven web of personal relations interspersed with lots of juicy gossip and hearsay. Despite the complexity and large amount of characters, the reader will have no problem remembering each character, along with their past interconnections and indiscretions. In fact, within the first chapter, the reader will already have developed a strong sense of kinship with these individuals.

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