Set in the neighbourhood of "Little Jamaica," Frying Plantain
follows a girl from elementary school to high school graduation as she
navigates the tensions between mothers and daughters, second-generation
immigrants experiencing first-generation cultural expectations, and
Black identity in a predominantly white society.
Kara Davis is a girl caught in the middle -- of her North American
identity and her desire to be a "true" Jamaican, of her mother and
grandmother's rages and life lessons, of having to avoid being thought
of as too "faas" or too "quiet" or too "bold" or too "soft." In these
twelve interconnected stories, we see Kara on a visit to Jamaica,
startled by the sight of a severed pig's head in her great-aunt's
freezer; in junior high, the victim of a devastating prank by her
closest friends; and as a teenager in and out of her grandmother's
house, trying to cope with ongoing battles of unyielding authority.
A rich and unforgettable portrait of growing up between worlds, Frying
Plantain shows how, in one charged moment, friendship and love can turn
to enmity and hate, well-meaning protection can become control, and
teasing play can turn to something much darker.