Jamaica Road

Smith’s captivating debut sees a British Jamaican woman take stock of the friendships and sense of purpose she found in her youth in 1980s Southeast London. At age 12, Daphne Johnson, born in England to Jamaican parents, is one of the few Black kids in her class. When Cornelius “Connie” Small, who’s newly arrived from Jamaica, joins Daphne’s class, their teacher seats them together so she can help him assimilate. Daphne, bookish and a bit of a loner, at first resents the lanky Connie’s easy grin and soccer skills, but once the two spend time alone together, they become fast friends. Both endure racist taunts from their white classmates, an echo of the anti-immigrant sentiments among working-class whites during a period of rising unemployment. It’s in this context that Daphne reads in the newspaper of a mass-casualty fire at a house where Black teens were partying, which is rumored to be a racially motivated attack. As Connie faces violence in his own household from his mother’s abusive boyfriend, the story builds toward a disastrous climax. Meanwhile, Daphne weighs her developing feelings for Connie against a mutual attraction to Mark, a white classmate torn between her and his racist hooligan buddies. Later chapters follow Daphne as her desire for racial justice and the truth about the deadly fire lead her into a career as an investigative journalist. In a narrative enriched by lilting patois and vibrant details of Jamaican cooking and the period’s ska scene, Smith’s well-rounded characters spring to life. This gritty drama hits hard. Agent: Stephanie Delman, Trellis Literary Management. (July)