Sweetness in the Skin
Published on 11. April 2024
Book
Hardback
368 pages
978-0-241-64303-7 (ISBN)
Description
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 OCM BOCAS PRIZE FOR CARIBBEAN LITERATURE
Pumkin Patterson dreams of a life beyond her Jamaican hometown. But what we dream of and where we belong aren't always the same thing...
This heartfelt and uplifting story is for fans of The Girl With the Louding Voice and The Reading List
'An engaging coming-of-age tale' THE TIMES
'The word-of-mouth sensation that's making waves . . . Luminous' IRENOSEN OKOJIE, STYLIST
'Will linger in your heart long after the final page. An absolute must-read' ABI DARE, author of The Girl With the Louding Voice
'A delightful story set in Jamaica, amid heartbreak, hopefulness, and mirth' CHARMAINE WILKERSON, author of Black Cake
---
For Pumkin Patterson, family is complicated.
There's her mother Paulette, who ignores her. There's her beloved Auntie Sophie, who her mother resents. And there's her grandmother, who has always played favourites.
Whenever tensions rise, Pumkin retreats to the kitchen - creating the Jamaican bread puddings and coconut drops that have always given her comfort.
When Sophie moves to France for work, she vows to send for her niece in one year's time. But in order to follow her aunt, Pumkin has a mountain to climb. Starting with the question of how she'll manage to escape her mother, and make enough money to get to Marseille.
Inspired by her skills in the kitchen, Pumkin turns to her community in the hope that she can sell enough sweet treats to bake her way out. But when her school and her mother discover her plan, everything she's worked so hard for may slip through her fingers . . .
---
'A dazzling coming-of-age novel set in the 1990s with an unforgettable heroine' RED
'An ode to the families we create for ourselves . . . Pumkin is a wonderful main character you are willing to succeed' GLAMOUR
'A treat from start to finish' SARAH HAYWOOD, author of The Cactus
'I read this book with my heart in my mouth, hoping all of Pumkin's dreams would come true' BREANNE MC IVOR, author of The God of Good Looks
'A tender exploration of familial love, both the family you're born to, and the one you find along the way' CHARLENE CARR, author of Hold My Girl
'A story so rich and resonant I never wanted it to end' JULIETTA HENDERSON, author of The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman
READERS ARE LOVING SWEETNESS IN THE SKIN
'This. Was. Amazing! I was hooked from the very first page.' Reader review
'Absolutely charming. I read it on one sitting, I just couldn't peel myself away from the story of Pumpkin!' Reader review
'I enjoyed reading it and was rooting for Pumkin to find her way on her journey to herself' Reader review
'Funny and heartwarming. Highly recommend adding to your wish list of books to read next year' Reader review
'I have not enjoyed a book as much as this for a VERY long time! This has everything for me that I want from a book' Reader review
Pumkin Patterson dreams of a life beyond her Jamaican hometown. But what we dream of and where we belong aren't always the same thing...
This heartfelt and uplifting story is for fans of The Girl With the Louding Voice and The Reading List
'An engaging coming-of-age tale' THE TIMES
'The word-of-mouth sensation that's making waves . . . Luminous' IRENOSEN OKOJIE, STYLIST
'Will linger in your heart long after the final page. An absolute must-read' ABI DARE, author of The Girl With the Louding Voice
'A delightful story set in Jamaica, amid heartbreak, hopefulness, and mirth' CHARMAINE WILKERSON, author of Black Cake
---
For Pumkin Patterson, family is complicated.
There's her mother Paulette, who ignores her. There's her beloved Auntie Sophie, who her mother resents. And there's her grandmother, who has always played favourites.
Whenever tensions rise, Pumkin retreats to the kitchen - creating the Jamaican bread puddings and coconut drops that have always given her comfort.
When Sophie moves to France for work, she vows to send for her niece in one year's time. But in order to follow her aunt, Pumkin has a mountain to climb. Starting with the question of how she'll manage to escape her mother, and make enough money to get to Marseille.
Inspired by her skills in the kitchen, Pumkin turns to her community in the hope that she can sell enough sweet treats to bake her way out. But when her school and her mother discover her plan, everything she's worked so hard for may slip through her fingers . . .
---
'A dazzling coming-of-age novel set in the 1990s with an unforgettable heroine' RED
'An ode to the families we create for ourselves . . . Pumkin is a wonderful main character you are willing to succeed' GLAMOUR
'A treat from start to finish' SARAH HAYWOOD, author of The Cactus
'I read this book with my heart in my mouth, hoping all of Pumkin's dreams would come true' BREANNE MC IVOR, author of The God of Good Looks
'A tender exploration of familial love, both the family you're born to, and the one you find along the way' CHARLENE CARR, author of Hold My Girl
'A story so rich and resonant I never wanted it to end' JULIETTA HENDERSON, author of The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman
READERS ARE LOVING SWEETNESS IN THE SKIN
'This. Was. Amazing! I was hooked from the very first page.' Reader review
'Absolutely charming. I read it on one sitting, I just couldn't peel myself away from the story of Pumpkin!' Reader review
'I enjoyed reading it and was rooting for Pumkin to find her way on her journey to herself' Reader review
'Funny and heartwarming. Highly recommend adding to your wish list of books to read next year' Reader review
'I have not enjoyed a book as much as this for a VERY long time! This has everything for me that I want from a book' Reader review
Reviews / Votes
'Ishi Robinson's debut serves up a taste of Jamaica that will have you craving coconut drops, gizzada and sweet potato pudding . . . this engaging coming-of-age tale shows a challenging side of Jamaican life through the eyes of an appealing protagonist' * The Times * I cherished every moment spent with Pumkin in this mesmerizing and poignant exploration of familial love and self-discovery. Robinson's narrative is infused with passion, delicately balancing stunning flavors and humor to create a feast for the senses. This captivating tale will linger in your heart long after the final page. An absolute must-read -- Abi Dare, bestselling author of The Girl With the Louding Voice Delightful. This tender, humorous, coming-of-age tale celebrates the flavours and language of Jamaica -- Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake The word-of-mouth sensation that's making waves . . . A searing coming-of-age novel set in 90s Jamaica that tells the story of irrepressible Pumkin Patterson . . . This luminous tale with its infectious heroine is perfect summer reading -- Irenosen Okojie * Stylist * Vibrant, affecting and joyfully uplifting. I felt completely transported, and was cheering Pumkin along every step of the way! -- Lucy Diamond, author of Anything Could Happen A dazzling coming-of-age novel set in the 1990s, with an unforgettable heroine -- Sarra Manning * Red * A story of uplifting love and joyful Jamaican-recipes * Stylist * Robinson is a tender and vivid writer, teasing out themes of identity, love, and the search for belonging. Sweetness in the Skin is a ode to the families we create for ourselves. Pumkin is a wonderful main character you are willing to succeed * Glamour * Poignant and emotional, with touches of both humour and sorrow -- Julia Quinn, bestselling author of Bridgerton This story by Ishi Robinson is a contemporary novel about family struggles, learning French, and, my favourite: baking. If those concepts don't hook you, I don't know what will. Sweetness in the Skin is perfect for anyone looking for a good ol' coming-of-age story, as it follows a young, lovable main character. * Buzzfeed *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 142 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
470 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-241-64303-7 (9780241643037)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Ishi Robinson was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. She has lived in Bern, Toronto, Rome, London and now lives in Berlin with her Czech husband. Her first published work was a short story in Jamaica's national newspaper when she was eleven years old. At seventeen, she sent a letter to her father from Switzerland that he thought was so funny he sent it to the other national newspaper, which snagged her a weekly column on teenage life in Kingston. She also previously wrote a weekly column on life as an expat in Rome for a now defunct online magazine. She got back into fiction writing in Berlin, from where she has published short stories in several online publications and one anthology. Sweetness in the Skin is her first novel.