Title: Land of Love and Drowning Author: Tiphanie Yanique
Published: July 10, 2014
Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Magical Realism
Page Count: 358
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:In the early 1900s, the Virgin Islands are transferred from Danish to American rule, and an important ship sinks into the Caribbean Sea. Orphaned by the shipwreck are two sisters and their half brother, now faced with an uncertain identity and future. Each of them is unusually beautiful, and each is in possession of a particular magic that will either sink or save them.
Chronicling three generations of an island family from 1916 to the 1970s, Land of Love and Drowning is a novel of love and magic, set against the emergence of Saint Thomas into the modern world. Uniquely imagined, with echoes of Toni Morrison, Gabriel García Márquez, and the author's own Caribbean family history, the story is told in a language and rhythm that evoke an entire world and way of life and love. Following the Bradshaw family through sixty years of fathers and daughters, mothers and sons, love affairs, curses, magical gifts, loyalties, births, deaths, and triumphs, Land of Love and Drowning is a gorgeous, vibrant debut by an exciting, prizewinning young writer.
Tiphanie Yanique’s debut novel, Land of Love and Drowning spans decades of national and family history, focusing in on three siblings from the US Virgin Islands. I was immediately attracted to the novel for this fact alone, but I stayed for the author’s magic and storytelling abilities. With just a hint of magical realism, this book captures a wonderful snapshot of Caribbean life in the twentieth century.
My first impression of this book, after reading the first couple pages, was, “Wow, this is weird.” And then I kept reading. After 50 pages or so, I said, “Wow, this is really weird…but I love it!” Basically, that summarizes my experience with Land of Love and Drowning. This is not a book like one you’ve read before. The unique setting, magic-infused prose, and taboo romances are strange, and they might not be for everyone. But this book could not be what it is without those things.
So, yeah, once I realized that incest was going to be part of this story, I paused. The father/daughter dynamic was awkward. The brother/sister dynamic was also uncomfortable (though, to be fair, they didn’t realize they were siblings). But it’s not like Yanique tried to romanticize those things; she was simply relaying a history as factually as possible. Owen Bradshaw had an inappropriate relationship with his daughter Eeona; Jacob Esau and Anette had a kid together without realizing they were half-siblings. That was just how the story went.
And there’s definitely more at play in Land of Love and Drowning than squicky romance. The Virgin Islands themselves are a huge character over the book. The land, the sea, the beach—those things are huge components of Yanique’s story, of life for these characters. There’s a sort of Caribbean magic that permeates the setting, helped along by Yanique’s gorgeous, melodic prose.
History itself is a big piece of this book as well. The book opens in 1917, just as the United States is purchasing the Virgin Islands from the Dutch. The main characters, Eeona and Anette, live through a depression, a world war, and then a period of political and civil upheaval, all while still wondering if they’re truly “American” or not. Historical fiction with a unique perspective is sometimes hard to find, but Land of Love and Drowning gave a voice to a people group that many seem to completely forget about.
To explain the beauty and depth of this book is difficult. It’s a family saga, it’s a collection of folktales, its an exploration of a tropical paradise, it’s a unique viewpoint on history, and it’s an exploration of old-world magic. With Land of Love and Drowning, Tiphanie Yanique accomplishes so much. This book really brings the Virgin Islands and their inhabitants to life, in a wholly memorable way.
