Unburnable

by Marie-Elena John

Book Overview

Haunted by scandal and secrets, Lillian Baptiste fled Dominica when she was fourteen after discovering she was the daughter of Iris, the half-crazy woman whose life was told of in chant mas songs sung... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060837578
• ISBN13: 9780060837570
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Amistad Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Not a Fluff Read!

I have been blessed enough in the last week to read not one but TWO great books this one being the greater. I will admit I wasn't wrapped up in the book by page two but by page ten I was all caught up in this story. Marie-Elena John is an EXCELLENT story teller. Her words are beautiful and her descriptions come off the page so effortlessly. I could've easily believed this was her third novel instead of her first. I laughed, I cried and I called all my friends and advised them to please read this book. I did not know anything about Dominica before picking up this novel and now I cannot learn enough. This book intrigued me to no end and I cannot wait to read future publishings from Marie-Elena John. This story is not in the least predictable and her knowledge on the subject matter is outstanding! If you are looking for a mind challenging novel that will shock and educate you at the same time then look no further.

A new Caribbean Classic

This novel is destined for "Caribbean Classic" status. While I am mindful that many writers hate being "compared" and although I concede that the literary styles, politics and and subject matters of the two novels are vastly different in many respects, there is a compelling case for comparing "Unburnable" with Jean Rhys' "Wide Sargasso Sea". One obvious similarity is that both novels are set in Dominica (there must really be something magical about about that little rock); another is that both novels were authored by Caribbean women. The most important similarity, however, is that both authors insist that the Caribbean woman's (and by extension the Caribbean peoples') right to dignity must be acknowledged. Both authors are bellicose in their refusal to accept the self hatred which is part and parcel of the legacy of colonialism. Alienation is an important theme in both novels. Antoinette in Wide Sargasso Sea and Lillian in Unburnable are women ill at ease in their environments, uncomfortable in her own skins, who nevertheless, fight tooth and nail to assert their right "to be". Both novelists challenge the still prevailing view of polite Caribbean society that "obeah is wicked and its practitioners are charlatans; praise Jesus that our colonial masters liberated us with christianity". Christophine in Wide Sargasso Sea and Matilda in Unburnable are both healers and protectors; superheroines a la Wonder Woman, Mighty Isis and Xena Warrior Princess. They right wrongs, punish evil and defend the downtrodden. They are the christian god in earthly female form, with the appealing bonus of being strikingly beautiful. (An interesting aside: obeah is still illegal in most independent Caribbean states. In this very year there was a prosecution in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for "attempting to pervert the course of justice through the use of obeah". The magistrate agreed with the argument of counsel for the defendant that the charge was too absurd to be maintained and the case was dismissed on a no case submission). The question which arises is, why are there such startling thematic similarities between a novel penned in the early 20th century by a white woman, born in colonial Dominica and one written at the dawn of the 21st Century by a black woman, a product of the Post-Independence Caribbean? Is the answer simply that the legacy of five hundred years of colonialism cannot be undone in under a century? How far does the truism of the universality of the human experience apply? But I intended to discuss "Unburnable". Marie-Elena John is a natural story teller. Like all the other readers, I could not put the book down because the story was so gripping. What facinated me is that she manages to weave in discussions on gender relations, feminism, Caribbean nationalism, Pan-Africanism, the nature of faith, the nature of bigotry, Caribbean class structure and many other "heavy" themes without making the story suffer; without boring

Unburnable is a non stop read, excellent

This was one of the best books I have read in a long time. Excellent job especially for her first novel. The characters were intriguing well researched and portrayed and true; the entire read was unpredictable which I loved. The flow was good and it was a book you find hard to put down. Looking forward to her next novel. Great job Marie-Elena

A five-star experience

For a long time, I've been consistently disappointed with the stuff that's being put out there by Black writers. With only a few exceptions, the publishing houses seem to be pushing little apart from Street Lit and Baby Mama Drama kinds of books. So when I heard the buzz in the publishing world about Unburnable, I made a point of buying it. The best way I can think of describing this book is a Caribbean version of Alex Haley's Roots, except that it also has elements of a mystery, a love story (actually, three love stories), a detective whodunit, a historical novel, an exploration of religion, a cliff-hanger, and straight up smart, strong writing. The author doesn't shy away from sexuality (you only have to read the first page to realize that this book deals head-on with sexuality); however, the sex in the book is not gratuitous, it serves to elaborate the author's many themes - rigid class and color distinctions, for example, and how women's sexuality and child-bearing capacity is controlled to maintain class structure. There are also a few scenes of surprising violence, too, written in such a way as to stun the reader, especially the female-on-female violence. That particular scene, which is referred to in reviews as the Coke-bottle rape, is just amazing in its ability to encompass the nature of the class structure of the day; and it also set off a chain of reactions that symbolized the beginning of the end for the light-skinned dominant class of that time in the Caribbean. I would call this book a "Diaspora Novel" because while the majority of the action is set in the Caribbean (both in present time and in the mid-1900s), it also draws on the African-American experiences, the Caribbean-American immigrant experience, and, best of all, the underlying African heritage of former slaves in the Diaspora. To say any more would be to give too much away, because the answers to the "mysteries" of Unburnable - what is Lillian's past? Why is she tormented by it? Was her mother really a madwoman? Was her grandmother really a murderer? What really happened in her grandmother's remote village over fifty years earlier? -- are only all fully revealed at the end of the novel, and I found the end to be fitting and beautiful; again, to say more would be to say too much. The one thing I wished for in this novel was a fuller development of the male character, the African-American public intellectual, Teddy Morgan. He underwent a transformation from a self-absorbed climber to a man who responded to the effect of selflessly loving another and giving in to that love, and I would have been interested in more about his background, especially his rise to fame around the Central Park Jogger case. I read a review of Unburnable in Essence saying that this author will be a major new voice in fiction. I agree fully and look forward to her next book. In the meantime, I know for sure that I'll read Unburnable at least one more time, not only to savor being so

Spellbinding Debut!!

Wow! I can hardly believe Unburnable is Marie-Elena John's debut because she wrote such a deep, suspenseful novel that had me guessing until the last page. I found it to be perfectly paced, very well written with colorful, smart characters that jumped off the page. I was both entertained and educated by this offering - a rare feat in today's literature. The story centers on three generations of Dominican women, two of which are infamously captured in local folklore, legend, and indigenous songs. Matilda, a proud, majestic African woman rumored to dabble in Obeah was publicly tried and hanged for murder after she confessed in police custody. Iris, Matilda's daughter, was a beautiful prostitute known for her voracious sexual appetite, disreputable past and questionable mental health. Lillian, Iris's daughter, was raised by her stepmother after Iris's untimely death. Lillian eventually moves to the United States to live with an aunt in order to shield her from her foremother's legacy. We learn quickly that the proverbial fruit does not fall far from the tree. After years of self-suppression, Lillian's mental instability manifests to the point where she now has difficulty blocking the painful memories. Fueled by inner voices and haunting flashbacks, she decides to return back to Dominica to learn the truth surrounding her family. She engages Teddy, a renowned attorney, collegiate confidante (and soon to be lover), who is basking in the afterglow of a sensationalized legal case where he successfully disproves a self-confession against tumultuous odds. Lillian sensing her grandmother's innocence, asks Teddy to join her in Dominica to re-investigate Matilda's 1940's era confession to mass murder. What ensues is a loaded history of dark secrets, shocking scandal, and a cover-up that permeates all levels of class, religion and the biased politics of the day. At the very core of the story, the author captures the essence of the African Diaspora. The complexities, struggles, and compromises surrounding the blending of races, cultures and faiths are evident in the trials and tribulations of all three women in both current and historical eras. There are even subtle observations and theories regarding African American and African Caribbean cultures which explain the mindsets of the key characters. Additionally, the author weaves a great deal of Dominican history throughout the novel, done with such care that the lessons are not overbearing, but essential to understanding the motivation and principles of key characters that eventually lead to the mystery's resolution. I loved the transition between eras - the flashbacks to Matilda and Lillian's periods were smooth and blended evenly with the modern day episodes between Lillian and Teddy. This is a great debut and I am looking forward to this author's next body of work. Reviewed by Phyllis APOOO BookClub Nubian Circle Book Club