Antigua and Barbuda: Lucy

Lucy

by Jamaica Kincaid

I finished my book for Antigua and Barbuda over a week ago, but with the holiday season fully in swing, I haven't been able to spend time writing about Jamaica Kincaid's enchanting novel, Lucy.  Instead, I've been doing the usual Christmasy sorts of things:  putting up a tree, shopping, wrapping, a little baking (this is more my daughter's domain), and spending time with family.  Since I've been in a long phase of trying to be more minimalist in my lifestyle and to stay in control of the ever-present clutter that comes with family life, all of the Christmas paraphernalia has generated more than a little stress.  I've tried to balance that out with making sure we spent time and energy on holiday activities that remind us of what Christmas is all about in the first place.  I took my daughter Grace and my eldest son's girlfriend Brittanie to see the Nutcracker, which was a wonderful way to kick off the season.  We've been Christmas caroling and to a couple of holiday concerts.  And we've tried hard to simply enjoy the peacefulness that is underneath the Christmas chaos ... seriously, it's there ... you just have to dig for it.

So far, my favorite Christmas activity was the early gift exchange we had last night with my husband Tim's family.  We've gotten to be a rather large group that spans an age range of more than 80 years.  My father-in-law just turned 86, and there's one great-granddaughter who is only five years old.  Fifteen of us crammed in around the kitchen table in the tiny kitchen of Tim's childhood home.  We needed two tables:  one for the adults plus the little one, and another for the "kids," who are ages 22, 22, 21, 19, and 16.  There was no Christmas tree as my very practical mother-in-law gave that up years ago in favor of a holiday wreath featuring lights and a handful of her favorite ornaments.  There were no expensive gifts, just small presents that were thoughtful and loving.  Tim's oldest brother always gives everyone a lottery ticket and some kind of little toy that amuses even the biggest kids.  It's now a tradition to which we all look forward.  Many years ago, my mother-in-law realized we share a love of books, so I always give her a few books, wrapped individually and tied together with a bow, which I look forward to enjoying after she's finished.  We have fried oysters for dinner, a holiday tradition that my father-in-law enjoyed in his childhood and has handed down to all of us.  We hold hands when we say the blessing before we eat. 

This year, we sang Jingle Bells together, much to the little one's delight, and best of all ... Santa Claus made an appearance!  It was too bad that Uncle Mike missed the whole thing though since he was "out of the room" the whole time Santa was visiting!

Best of all, we laughed, told jokes, reminisced, and enjoyed the company of one another.  THAT is what Christmas is really all about.  Later this week, we'll be heading to Tennessee, where my mother, sister, brother-in-law, 8-year old niece, and 6-year old nephew will be part of another set of cherished days and memories.  We'll have another chance to remember why we go through all of the chaos and stress of holiday preparations.

Despite being busy with holiday preparations and events, I have, of course, made time for reading ... just not as much for writing about reading.  There aren't a lot of books that are set in the tiny Caribbean island of Antigua, but I managed to find a few.  Years ago, I read Jamaica Kincaid's novel, Annie John, and found it to be delightful, so I decided to give Lucy a try.  In the spirit of transparency, the main action of the novel takes place in the United States, and Lucy's flashback memories are about an island home in the West Indies.  There is no specific mention of Antigua, but given that the author hails from there, I think it's a safe bet that the cultural background Lucy brings to her experience of New York City reflects Kincaid's Antiguan heritage.  If you want to know more about Kincaid, the Huffington Post published a great article about why she's "such a badass." 

With fewer than 200 pages, Lucy is a quick read and a compelling story of a young girl who leaves her small island home and her family to work as an au pair for a wealthy family in New York.  We hear Lucy's voice throughout, and the single perspective offers a deep and powerful level of insight that doesn't often happen when stories are told by multiple characters.  What's magical about this technique is that as the story develops, the reader experiences life inside Lucy's mind while also recognizing how Lucy might be perceived from the outside.  She's angry, self-centered, and not especially nice ... that's how her actions and thoughts make her appear, and about halfway through, it becomes apparent that this is also how she feels.  She doesn't like herself any more than the reader does (at first.)  However ... as time passes, Lucy begins to share more (with readers) about why she is hurt and angry.  As she shines light on what happened in her childhood, she begins to understand herself ... but, being young, she is not mature enough to take action that will help her move through and deal with her feelings.

Lucy's relationship with Mariah, her employer, perfectly depicts their separate struggles as Lucy fights against wanting to break free of the home she both loves and despises, and Mariah tries desperately to hide from her crumbling marriage and hollow life by frantically showing Lucy all of the "wonderful" things about living in the United States.  As things begin to unravel, Lucy becomes impatient with Mariah's pretend sunny disposition and has no hesitation about telling her what she thinks and what life in the real world, away from Mariah's life of fortune and opportunity, is really like.  The story is truly about the coming of age, one with a fascinating glimpse of how difficult a time of life young adulthood can be, especially when you're navigating outside of everything that is familiar.

Other Books Considered

Ladies of the Night, by Althea Prince (short stories)

Loving This Man, by Althea Prince (fiction)

Considering Venus, by Isaac Gisele

Antigua and My Life Before, by Marcela Serrano