BLACK BEACH

Narrator Raven Dauda slips in and out of a Caribbean accent as she describes the life of 16-year-old Tamera, who lives in La Cresta, a rural island fishing community in Jamaica. The story's large cast of characters includes her best friend and sister, Mary, and her children; her first cousin, Jan; and her mother, who suffers from mental illness. Dauda differentiates them all, even in fast-moving dialogue. She draws strongly on Tamera's emotions--her worries about her mother's well-being, fears about a missing classmate, and longing for Dalton, her boyfriend who's working far away. The story's tension is sometimes reduced by clunky prose, and the plot can feel crowded with too many characters, issues, and subplots. But Tamera's sensory world is conveyed well, giving a strong sense of place. S.W. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2021]