"A delightful coming-of-age story set in Jamaica, amid heartbreak, hopefulness, and mirth."--Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake
"Poignant and emotional, with touches of both humor and sorrow. . . . This book makes you think about what it means to be a mother, and what it means to be a good mother." --Julia Quinn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Bridgerton, on Today.com
A winning debut novel about a Jamaican girl determined to bake her way out of her dysfunctional family and into the opportunity of a lifetime.
Pumkin Patterson is a thirteen-year-old girl living in a tiny two-room house in Kingston, Jamaica, with her grandmother (who wants to improve the family's social standing), her Aunt Sophie (who dreams of a new life in Paris for her and Pumkin), and her mother Paulette (who's rarely home).
When Sophie is offered the chance to move to France for work, she seizes the opportunity, and promises to send for her niece in one year's time. All Pumkin has to do is pass her French entrance exam so she can attend school there. But when Pumkin's grandmother dies, she's left alone with her volatile mother, and as soon as her estranged father turns up--as lazy and conniving as ever--the household's fortunes take a turn for the worse.
Pumkin must somehow find a way to raise the money for her French exam, so she can free herself from her household and reunite with her beloved aunt in France. In a moment of ingenuity, she turns her passion for baking into a true business. Making batches of sweet potato pudding, coconut drops and chocolate cakes, Pumkin develops a booming trade--but when her school and her mother find out what she's up to, everything she's worked so hard for may slip through her fingers. . . .
Sweetness in the Skin is a funny and heartbreaking story about a young girl figuring out who she is, what she is capable of--and where she truly belongs.
Ishi Robinson was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. She has lived in Bern, Toronto, Rome, and London, and now lives in Berlin with her Czech husband. She has published short stories in several online publications and one anthology. Sweetness in the Skin is her first novel.
"This triumphant and emotional debut from Robinson is recommended for readers who enjoyed Charmaine Wilkerson's Black Cake or Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing." -- Library Journal, *Starred Review*
"Ishi Robinson has written a delightful coming-of-age story set in Jamaica, amid heartbreak, hopefulness, and mirth. This tender, at times humorous, coming-of-age tale celebrates the flavors and language of Jamaica while unveiling the impact of colorism and class divisions on one family. I found myself rooting for clever, vulnerable Pumkin as she reached for her dreams and yearned for acceptance." -- Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake
"Sweetness in the Skin is a tender exploration of familial love, both the family you're born to, and the one you find along the way. Robinson has written a treatise on the effects of colourism and class divisions that is heartbreaking and raw, yet joyful. This vivid story transported me to Pumkin's world through an excursion of the senses, the sights, the sounds, and especially the tastes of Jamaica, taking me back to the one journey I took to my fatherland and leaving me yearning to return." -- Charlene Carr, author of Hold My Girl