Customer Reviews

Brown Girl in the Ring

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In Charles Saunders' essay titled "Why Blacks Should Read (And Write) Science Fiction," Nalo Hopkinson was pointed out by Saunders as being "Octavia Butler's true literary child." While Hopkinson "doesn't imitate Butler," he reminded us, she did "imitate the older writer's strenghts in plotting and characterization (Dark Matter, ed. by Sheree R. Thomas, 2000)." Saunders was right. What a debut. This first novel was enthralling. It was so good that up-and-coming fantasy novelist Nalo Hopkinson had managed to win both heady praise from Butler herself and a Warner Aspect First Novel Award.

Brown Girl in the Ring had everything. Smooth, yet urgent prose. Heart-stopping action. A thriving Caribbean-Vodoun culture in Canada. Soul-deadening urban decay. Vibrant Caribbean speech. Evil that makes your skin crawl. Using the power of the old ways of her ancestors, hero Ti-Jeanne must come of age in near-future Toronto by confronting the forces that threaten to overcome her neighborhood, her family, and her life. Even though I had read this book nearly 4 years ago, it is still in my head. It was and still is that good.

More that 3 decades ago, Octavia E. Butler revolutionized the heart of science-fantasy writing, setting tough new standards of excellence. With Brown Girl in the Ring, Nalo Hopkinson has met that challenge admirably. I know Butler must be proud.

I have no idea why the publishers are calling this science fiction. It's really more of a horror/fantasy blend; the only sci-fi element I can think of is the near-future setting. Which suits me just fine. ;)

The world of _Brown Girl_ is frighteningly plausible--it is the logical conclusion of our current suburban sprawl and consequent urban decay. Here, even the city government has fled to the suburbs, and no one is left in the inner city but the poor. There is no electricity, no sewer system. You can't get into the hospital unless you are wealthy. And Rudy, the diabolical crime boss of Toronto, is selling organs to these hospitals--and let's just say the donors are less than willing.

And in this city lives Ti-Jeanne (Little Jeanne), a new mother, staying with her wise grandmother, Gros-Jeanne (Big Jeanne). Gros-Jeanne wants to pass on her knowledge to Ti-Jeanne, but Ti-Jeanne only grudgingly learns herbal skills, and wants nothing to do with Gros-Jeanne's other talent--the practice of Afro-Caribbean magic. Then one night they hold a ritual to help Ti-Jeanne's deadbeat ex-boyfriend, and the spirits tell Ti-Jeanne that it is her destiny to stop Rudy's evil.

We are sucked in, as Ti-Jeanne's course becomes more irrevocable, as she comes to accept the orishas, and as her ex-boyfriend's fear and drug addiction drive him into worse and worse trouble. Ti-Jeanne's only hope lies in her wits and in half-remembered bits of magical lore. An engrossing read; however, don't buy this if you object to violence. There is a good bit of that.

Perhaps the best aspect of this book, for me at least, was that Hopkinson integrates the loa into her book without making them seem hokey. In other urban fantasy books I have read, it sometimes seems as if the author almost puts the notice "OK, I'm putting in the magic now." before any supernatural elements enter. Hopkinson, on the other hand, describes the supernatural, the spirits that Ti-Jeanne sees and interacts with, as an insider, as if they were as accepted a fact to the readers as microwave ovens or computers. It was very refreshing to see voudoun presented in this light. I'd highly recommend this book to any who are interested in Afro-Carribean culture and mythology. Even if you're not, I'd try to persuade you to read it, it's a bit rough at times, but overall excellent for a first novel.

"Brown Girl in the Ring" takes us to a little-seen location in imaginative fiction: near-future inner-city Toronto, long since abandoned by the government. Here, cut off from neighboring cities by impassable barriers, a new culture is emerging. Main character Ti-Jeanne works with her grandmother to provide traditional herbal remedies for the locals, but trouble is brewing in the form of a ruthless gang leader, Rudy, and his band of thugs. They have reached a deal to provide a human heart for transplant to an important politician, and let's just say that they don't rank medical ethics as a very high priority.

This novel steers clear of most typical beginner mistakes. The pacing is correct, without any noticeable lagging between important events. Hopkinson employs a distinct ethnic dialect for all her characters, but it doesn't distract from the story. And the overall writing level, while not perfect, does provide some gripping scenes. I particularly enjoyed a wild magic ritual wherein various spirits inhabit the bodies of the main characters.

But there's a problem with "Brown Girl in the Ring". Much as it pains me to say it, it's the male characters. All of them are portrayed as cruel, vindictive, and nasty. All of them. And even when a band of children arrive for just a few pages, we can't avoid noticing that the girls and smarter and more competent than the boys. I would accept the villainous Rudy, though his scenes are a bit over-the-top (torturing a baby and skinning a woman alive, for starters), but Ti-Jeanne's ex-husband Rudy comes across as a total wimp, an almost nonentity. The book would have benefit quite a bit if Hopkinson had given Tony some real spirit.

This novel was truly refreshing. It is not everyday that you get to read a Sci-Fi book with a Caribbean flair. I loved it! The story line was no where near predictable or boring. I found myself unable to put the book down. You did a nice job Ms. Hopkinson, it good fi true!

For a debut novel, this is truly a stunning achievment. It's not your usual fantasy by any stretch, and may not appeal to everyone, but if your looking for something different then this might be just the book for you. There's certainly room for the author to grow--as already observed, her male characters tend to be over-simplified when compared with their female counterparts. And for those who haven't read it, this has the violence and retribution feel of the old fairy tales--in other words, there's blood and death and fairly little sparkly fairy dust. However, that's the only way I'll compare this book with fairy tales. The story and setting are refreshingly different and the style gives it an ethnic flavor that will appeal to those searching for multicultural fantasy. Women looking for different roles in their fantasy novels will find them here. Not for everyone, certainly. But a welcome addition to a small, but growing genre.

Nalo is a good storyteller. The story has a nice pace to it. It's an easy read and the characters will pull at your emotions from Ti-Jeanne's immaturity and disdain for her baby to the cowardly boyfriend whom she struggles to extract herself from. The story enchants you and presses at you to finish it. I am awaiting to see what Nalo comes up with next.

I found myself both morbidly curious and totally engrossed. The author drew me in and kept me right from the beginning. She has an excellent talent for story telling and making all of her characters seem like people we've all met. I've recommended it to all of my adventurous reading friends!!

A thoroughly enjoyable tale, Nalo Hopkinson has crafted this novel with care and not a little spirituality. Although it might be easy to simply write this story off as "just another urban fantasy", you must differientiate it for several reasons: 1.) The boring post-apocalyptic movie set in many science fiction stories has been more reasonably (and realistically) transformed to an inner-city urban collapse, with believable sociological ramifications and a believable timeline. 2.) All of the characters (even the antagonist) are interesting, understandable and believable. 3.) The subject matter handles an afro-diasporic magical tradition with respect, care, and authenticity rather than some cobbled-together melange of myth and pop culture. Ms. Hopkinson surprises and delights in this tale of generations, of debts owed and paid, and of redemption. I anxiously await her subsequent publications.

Anyone can come up with a decent story idea . . . I mean anyone. A lot of people can write their idea down in competent prose, and some do. But only a handful of people can tell their stories in a memorable way with a great voice. Nalo Hopkinson is one of those people - her voice is great.

The story, Brown Girl in the Ring, is a good story about a young woman living in dystopia Toronto, an inner city burn where civilization is all about 'the strongest survive.' She's in touch with the African Gods because the gift of voudoun runs in the family - and the Gods, called in rituals, have personalities as strong and wild as the rest of the cast of characters: drug dealers, addicts, crime lords, healers, street children, and even the prime minister.

With a strong story and great characters, Nalo adds the element of voice to the mix and out comes pure entertainment - edge of your chair fun reading with a big, "oh, that's it?" sigh at the end and a wish for more.

And more I will read.

- CV Rick