Land of Love and Drowning in Around the World

Dec 23, 2013 Renae rated it really liked it

Shelves: genre-historical, genre-magical-realism, read-in-2014, setting-virgin-islands

Tiphanie Yanique’s debut novel, Land of Love and Drowning spans decades of national and family history, focusing in on three siblings from the US Virgin Islands. I was immediately attracted to the novel for this fact alone, but I stayed for the author’s magic and storytelling abilities. With just a hint of magical realism, this book captures a wonderful snapshot of Caribbean life in the twentieth century.

My first impression of this book, after reading the first couple pages, was, “Wow, this is w Tiphanie Yanique’s debut novel, Land of Love and Drowning spans decades of national and family history, focusing in on three siblings from the US Virgin Islands. I was immediately attracted to the novel for this fact alone, but I stayed for the author’s magic and storytelling abilities. With just a hint of magical realism, this book captures a wonderful snapshot of Caribbean life in the twentieth century.

My first impression of this book, after reading the first couple pages, was, “Wow, this is weird.” And then I kept reading. After 50 pages or so, I said, “Wow, this is really weird…but I love it!” Basically, that summarizes my experience with Land of Love and Drowning. This is not a book like one you’ve read before. The unique setting, magic-infused prose, and taboo romances are strange, and they might not be for everyone. But this book could not be what it is without those things.

So, yeah, once I realized that incest was going to be part of this story, I paused. The father/daughter dynamic was awkward. The brother/sister dynamic was also uncomfortable (though, to be fair, they didn’t realize they were siblings). But it’s not like Yanique tried to romanticize those things; she was simply relaying a history as factually as possible. Owen Bradshaw had an inappropriate relationship with his daughter Eeona; Jacob Esau and Anette had a kid together without realizing they were half-siblings. That was just how the story went.

And there’s definitely more at play in Land of Love and Drowning than squicky romance. The Virgin Islands themselves are a huge character over the book. The land, the sea, the beach—those things are huge components of Yanique’s story, of life for these characters. There’s a sort of Caribbean magic that permeates the setting, helped along by Yanique’s gorgeous, melodic prose.

History itself is a big piece of this book as well. The book opens in 1917, just as the United States is purchasing the Virgin Islands from the Dutch. The main characters, Eeona and Anette, live through a depression, a world war, and then a period of political and civil upheaval, all while still wondering if they’re truly “American” or not. Historical fiction with a unique perspective is sometimes hard to find, but Land of Love and Drowning gave a voice to a people group that many seem to completely forget about.

To explain the beauty and depth of this book is difficult. It’s a family saga, it’s a collection of folktales, its an exploration of a tropical paradise, it’s a unique viewpoint on history, and it’s an exploration of old-world magic. With Land of Love and Drowning, Tiphanie Yanique accomplishes so much. This book really brings the Virgin Islands and their inhabitants to life, in a wholly memorable way.

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Jul 25, 2020 Linda rated it liked it

Shelves: _global_reads, caribbean, fiction, american

2 and a half stars. I didn't hate it, but I wasn't invested in the outcome, either. Without giving spoilers, I get frustrated when characters in books could prevent a problem by just stating something outright but choose not to (and then have the gall to be upset by the ensuing events anyway).

I enjoyed learning more about the recent culture of the US Virgin Islands, but this story just didn't do much for me. ...more

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