by Sarah McCoy
Overall: Willy May Michael moves to Mustique Island in the early 1970s, joining a motley crew of wealthy British socialites looking for an escape. Born in Texas, Willy May married a British pilot at age 16 and had two daughters. After her divorce, she decided to sail around the world on her own. Willy May’s looking for something; will she find it with the Colin Tennant or Princess Margaret, her nearest neighbors? With the families of the people of color who work on the island? Or with her own distant daughters? Willy May, daughters Hilly, a model, and Joanne, a college student, take turns narrating their family’s journey through this tumultuous decade.
Likes: This novel explores how we learn to be mothers, the mother-child bond, and how being a mother intersects with a woman’s sense of self. The relationships between Willy May, Joanne, and Hilly take center stage. It’s fun to have cameos by famous real-life visitors to Mustique, including Mick Jagger, but it’s not all flash and sparkle. The book isn’t shy about the less than idyllic history of the island and the physical challenges of living there. The legacies of slavery and colonialism are major themes; some white characters operate as though still in the colonial system, while others struggle to find different ways to relate with the people the book calls “islanders.” Hurricanes, mosquitos, tropical illness, and isolation are some of the difficulties everyone on this island faces – but with varying resources to deal with the fallout.
Dislikes: I connected most with Joanne, so I was disappointed that she had the smallest section of the book. I had a hard time connecting with Hilly. Her choices were hard for me to understand, and she spends a lot of time feeling sorry for herself despite (or in her view, because of) the huge amounts of privilege in her life (physical beauty, a trust fund, fame, whiteness). I was also disappointed that a storyline involving a mother and daughter who work for the Tennant family did not continue past the first section.
FYI: Extensive drug use, including during pregnancy. Loss of a parent. Racism. Abandonment of a child. Catastrophic injury. Death of a partner.
Liz Helfrich 