“A Million Aunties”: My Review of a Novel by Alecia McKenzie

An “Auntie” occupies a unique space in Jamaican society. I have a few “nieces” and “nephews” myself, although they are not related to me in any way. I love them all.

In general, Jamaican Aunties are middle-aged or older women. They usually embody certain qualities (at least, in the eyes of the young people who adopt them – and that’s another thing about aunties – they are often so designated by their young friends). Suddenly, you are an Auntie. The ideal Auntie is dependable, reliable, helpful and empowering. She may offer good advice from time to time. She can fix things. She is (one hopes) non-judgmental – not as quick to condemn or criticize as an actual family member might be. She may be eccentric at times; any younger person who takes her on will have to get used to her ways. She is not a substitute for a parent, of course; but sometimes she might step in a parent’s shoes, temporarily or otherwise.

Most importantly, perhaps, a Jamaican Auntie is a friend, with a shoulder to cry on if need be.

Miss Della is one such auntie, adopted rather belatedly by Christopher, a Jamaican artist in his forties who is seeking a kind of refuge on the island from the United States, where he lives. He is still mourning a sudden loss, still disoriented, and trying to calm himself through his art. For Chris and Miss Della, flowers (and painting them) seem to be the answer. This auntie also cooks delicious Jamaican breakfasts. Chris begins to think about light, rather than darkness.

Chris, like others in the story, floats across memories. Although some (like Stephen, who is Chris’s agent) are not related, there is a sense of family, of forgetting and of catching up on things – or not. Like many Jamaican families, the members are scattered overseas and in Jamaica; they don’t know each other that well, any more. “We all should have kept in better touch,” was one comment when “the Christmas cards stopped coming.” They have to remind each other of (real) uncles and aunts and grandparents.

“Lose a mother, gain a million aunties,” Stephen thinks to himself wryly, reflecting on his childhood at a Jamaican orphanage, run by “Auntie Myriam.”

Nevertheless, Chris, in his depression, does not see the value in “acquiring” family that he never knew before. There is a kind of disconnectedness between him, his friends and family. As Jamaicans often do – it’s a thread running through the story – he is “minding his own business,” just as another extraordinary character, the mysterious Miss Pretty, does. He harbors sadness, and a dark place that he doesn’t want to let go of, like Miss Pretty. Although there is plenty of dry humor, this disparate collection of characters doesn’t give much away.

As the narrative moves from one person to another and we begin to pick up the threads between them, you can enjoy the mundane, everyday Jamaicanisms. There is the man who says he can turn his hand to anything – the “Jack of all trades.” There are “too many mad people ‘pon the road.” Descriptions of the highway from the north to south of the island; arriving at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston over the sea; barking dogs; mosquitoes, fried plantains; and the chaotic scene at a bus crash, are all instantly recognizable. Miss Vera, Miss Della’s neighbour who is always ready for a new dressmaking project, observes wearily, “We live in a country where everybody is joker.” Yes, so true!

There are several voices in the novel. The reader needs to be aware of who is speaking (and the voice is not always first person). I was confused at times, and was not sure that the introduction of the French artist Féliciane and her Jamaican boyfriend, Leroy contributed much to the storyline. Instead, I feel I would like to have got to know the three main characters better. In any case, a voice speaking in a gentle patois is usually that of the older generation of Jamaican women; the transatlantic millennial slang is the “nephews.”

Eventually, there is a “family trip” of sorts – ending up in Paris, via the New York art world (by the way, the author is currently based in France). The inexpensive hotel where they stay is exactly like where I stayed, many years ago now, in that city. Art is the main connection between them, with aunties providing a little glue when things come unstuck. There is art, and flowers.

In Jamaica, Miss Vera admires the flourishing croton on her front verandah, brought back to life by Chris during his stay, “like mi best friend.” The book cover is in croton colors – that deep yellow and green.

While in Paris, Auntie Della falls in love with Monet’s Water Lilies (the real ones in the garden, not the paintings), and daydreams about the pond at Hope Gardens in Kingston. Hers is my favorite and perhaps the most authentic voice. An Auntie’s voice, constant and affirming.

A Million Aunties by Alecia McKenzie was published in November by Blue Banyan Books, an independent Jamaican publishing house, on its Blouse and Skirts imprint. Read more here about how this novel came about, with support from U.S.- based Jamaican writer Kwame Dawes and Akashic Books.

Alecia McKenzie was born in Kingston, where she attended Alpha Academy. She has a Masters degree from Columbia University in New York and a B.A. from Troy (State) University. She is the author of Sweetheart, which was the 2012 winner of a regional Commonwealth Book Prize. In 2017, the French translation of Sweetheart (Trésor) was awarded the Prix Carbet des Lycéens, chosen by students in Guiana, Guadeloupe, and Martinique and from the Lycée International in London. She also wrote the novella Doctors Orders, and the collections Stories From Yard and Satellite City (which won the regional Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book in 1992.

She taught Communications and Creative Writing at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Vesalius College) in Belgium for 12 years and occasionally does creative writing workshops in Paris, along with reporting for a news agency and contributing articles to New African magazine.

She produced the cover artwork for two of her books, and her paintings have been exhibited in several cities, including Kingston, New York and Paris. Besides Jamaica, she has lived in the United States, Belgium, the UK, Singapore and France. She and her family currently share their time mainly between the Caribbean and Europe.

Biographical details from Peepal Tree Press.