We rip the world apart A novel

Carr's latest (after Hold My Girl, 2023) is told through multiple time lines and perspectives, following three generations of a family with roots in both Jamaica and Canada. Evelyn, a white woman, marries her Black husband, Kingsley, in Jamaica, where they have their first child, Antony. As political unrest worsens in the 1980s, they move to Toronto, where their daughter, Kareela, is born. As Antony grows, his parents become more anxious about the racism he faces. Their fears are tragically realized when Antony is killed by police during a rally. Carr skillfully portrays the deep impact of this event, showing how grief and trauma affect each family member. The novel explores the complexities of biracial relationships, the damaging effects of both overt and covert racism, and the challenges of identity, activism, and trauma within a family. As secrets slowly come to light, the novel's focus on grief and resilience builds to a thought-provoking and deeply resonant crescendo. Fans of Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half (2020) will appreciate this powerful and emotional multigenerational tale for its portrayal of identity, systemic racism, and enduring loss.

Carr (Hold My Girl) spotlights a woman torn between activism and self-preservation in this complex family saga. Kareela Jackson, a 24-year-old biracial social worker in Halifax, Nova Scotia, remains scarred by the death of her older brother, Antony, 18 years earlier. An outspoken critic of the police, he was shot by cops in Toronto under murky circumstances that were deemed justified. The siblings' parents--Evelyn, a white woman, and Kingsley, a Jamaican man--reacted differently to their loss; Evelyn initially neglected Kareela before becoming overprotective, while Kingsley fell into depression. Now, galvanized by increased attention on racist police violence, Kareela joins the Black Lives Matter movement and gives a speech about what happened to her brother. Meanwhile, she learns she's unexpectedly pregnant by her white boyfriend, Thomas, and questions whether she wants to keep the baby. Thomas, excited to become a father, is upset by her ambivalence, which stems from how her own mother treated her. Kareela's struggles to decide whether to become a parent, an activist, or both alternate with illuminating flashbacks from Evelyn's perspective about being part of a mixed family and her evolving relationship with Kingsley. Carr shrewdly avoids pat resolutions of these fraught interpersonal dynamics, resulting in a satisfying and sophisticated tale. (Jan.)