BOOK REVIEW: THE BREAD THE DEVIL KNEAD BY LISA ALLEN AGOSTINI

 

Synopsis

Alethea Lopez is about to turn 40. Fashionable, feisty and fiercely independent, she manages a boutique in Port of Spain, but behind closed doors she’s covering up bruises from her abusive partner and seeking solace in an affair with her boss. When she witnesses a woman murdered by a jealous lover, the reality of her own future comes a little too close to home.

Bringing us her truth in an arresting, unsparing Trinidadian voice, Alethea unravels memories repressed since childhood and begins to understand the person she has become.

Her next step is to decide the woman she wants to be.

This is an engrossing and atmospheric novel with a strong feminist message at the heart of its page-turning plot. It explores an abusive love-affair with searing honesty, and skilfully tackles the issue of gender violence and racism against the lush and heady backdrop of the national festival, and the music that feeds it. It’s impossible not to root for Alethea – she is an unforgettable heroine, trapped in ways she is only just beginning to understand but shining with strength, resolve and, ultimately, self-determination.

My Thoughts 

This book was hands down one of my favorite Trinidadian books of all time. Was the subject matter difficult to read at times? YES. But this was so well written in perfect Trinidadian prose that the words just leapt off the page for me. 

Domestic violence is one of the number one causes of violent deaths in Trinidad and Tobago. Many women in this country and worldwide suffer in silence. Alethea and Leo's relationship captivated me in so many ways. I know a lot of girls like Allie, whose childhood trauma affected their entire lives so much that they feel undeserving of love, and underserving of friendship. I felt compassion also for Leo, because his hurt came from I think not feeling in control of his life and by having control over Allie, I think was his own coping mechanism.

This book spoke also to the power of friendship. I loved Tamika's character and the timing of her entry into Allie's life as a friend. Sometimes in these situations as women we feel that we do not need to have friends but boy do we need genuine people in our lives to help us through difficult times.

What was also gripping for me was how the writer chronicled the events from the past. It really had me the reader trying to read fast to find out the cause of Allie's trauma and why she was searching for love in all the wrong places. Case in point Mr. Sharma.

Colin, the blast from the past. His entry into the story was EPIC. Clearly you can see that I loved everything about this. 

THIS WAS ONE OF MY BOOK CLUB PICKS FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE IN CELEBRATION OF READ CARIBBEAN MONTH.

CLICK ON THE LINK ON THE SIDEBAR TO JOIN MY GOODREADS BOOKCLUB: BETWEEN THE PAGES