Why read Annie John?

Book cover of Annie John

Book description

An adored only child, Annie has until recently lived a peaceful and content life. She is inseparable from her beautiful mother, a powerful and influential presence, who sits at the very centre of the little girl's existence. Loved and cherished, Annie grows and thrives within her mother's shadow.

When she…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Annie John as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Marcia Aldrich

Author

Kincaid’s voice and style, bracing and autobiographical, almost obsessive, rocked my world.

Hearing the insistence of her voice helped me discover my own voice and to embrace it. I love the compulsive presence in her work and the "I," whose power of personality, sensibility, and voice rushes through me.

From Marcia's list on compelling books about the trouble between mothers and daughters.

Namrata Poddar

Author

At 160 pages, here is another coming-of-age novel whose 8 chapters offer a glimpse into a specific year of Annie John’s childhood and teenage years in Antigua before she migrates to England for higher education. Throughout the novel, we learn of Annie’s relationship with her parents, especially her mother’s overbearing influence, and Annie’s stepping into her independence with migration. As sub-plots, we encounter Annie’s relationship to other secondary characters—Gwen and the Red Girl who are her friends, Miss George and Miss Edward who are her teachers—yet they eventually fade away without enough of a resolution to the “sub-plots.” Through unexplained…

From Namrata's list on debuts that subvert the mainstream Westerns.