From a major voice in Caribbean literature—this is a story of Gwennie Glaspole, a schoolteacher trapped in an unhappy marriage, fighting to resist Jamaican cultural expectations and for her independence
A new edition of the “remarkable first novel” from a major voice in Caribbean literature in the Celebrating Black Women Writers series. Written in modified Jamaican patois, Powell traces the life of Gwennie, a strong woman who plays the role of wife and mother while suffering through a loveless and violently abusive marriage to Walter. Faced with choice of remain a victim to her duties or flee from the cruelties of her everyday life, Gwennie decides to start anew and embrace the pressures of sudden and laudable change. Me Dying Trial ambitiously conveys what goes unspoken—issues regarding identity, homosexuality, religion, and personal afflictions, and how often that strong sense of community holds us back from growing.
Powell’s debut solidified her status as “one of the most exciting writers living and writing on the island that is the Caribbean-American hyphen.” (Edwidge Danticat)
“Powell shows us the living within the dying, the foreigner within the native born, the male within the female. Her tales unfold like dreams spread out on a table.” —Danzy Senna, author of Caucasia
“One of the most exciting writers living and writing on the island that is the Caribbean-American hyphen.” —Edwidge Danticat, author of Breath, Eyes, Memory
“With her flawless ear for the poetic vernacular of her native Jamaica and her in-depth understanding of the complexity of island society, Powell continues to affirm the Caribbean’s rightful place on the literary map of the world.” —Paule Marshall, author of Praisesong for the Widow
“Me Dying Trial pays homage to mothers, aunts, and grandmothers, who are the heart of a Caribbean household. At times I almost forgot that I was reading a novel, for I was finally hearing and looking into the silences I’ve wanted to ask my mother about her womanhood in Jamaica and her immigration to New York as a single mother of three. Patricia Powell is one of our greatest Caribbean writers. Me Dying Trial is an inspiration.” —Alexia Arthurs, author of How to Love a Jamaican
“Patricia Powell does something golden in her storytelling—she uses our Jamaican dialect to effectively communicate our pains, sorrows, and triumphs. Me Dying Trial is a powerful work of fiction and an absolutely important contribution to Caribbean literature.” —Nicole Dennis-Benn, best-selling author of PATSY and Here Comes the Sun
Novelist Patricia Powell was born in Jamaica and moved with her family to the United States in 1982. Powell has taught creative writing at Harvard University, Wellesley College, MIT, and Standford University, and is currently Professor of English at Mills College in California. She is the author of A Small Gathering of Bones, The Pagoda, and The Fullness of Everything.
From a major voice in Caribbean literature—this is a story of Gwennie Glaspole, a schoolteacher trapped in an unhappy marriage, fighting to resist Jamaican cultural expectations and for her independence
A new edition of the “remarkable first novel” from a major voice in Caribbean literature in the Celebrating Black Women Writers series. Written in modified Jamaican patois, Powell traces the life of Gwennie, a strong woman who plays the role of wife and mother while suffering through a loveless and violently abusive marriage to Walter. Faced with choice of remain a victim to her duties or flee from the cruelties of her everyday life, Gwennie decides to start anew and embrace the pressures of sudden and laudable change. Me Dying Trial ambitiously conveys what goes unspoken—issues regarding identity, homosexuality, religion, and personal afflictions, and how often that strong sense of community holds us back from growing.
Powell’s debut solidified her status as “one of the most exciting writers living and writing on the island that is the Caribbean-American hyphen.” (Edwidge Danticat)
Praise
“Powell shows us the living within the dying, the foreigner within the native born, the male within the female. Her tales unfold like dreams spread out on a table.” —Danzy Senna, author of Caucasia
“One of the most exciting writers living and writing on the island that is the Caribbean-American hyphen.” —Edwidge Danticat, author of Breath, Eyes, Memory
“With her flawless ear for the poetic vernacular of her native Jamaica and her in-depth understanding of the complexity of island society, Powell continues to affirm the Caribbean’s rightful place on the literary map of the world.” —Paule Marshall, author of Praisesong for the Widow
“Me Dying Trial pays homage to mothers, aunts, and grandmothers, who are the heart of a Caribbean household. At times I almost forgot that I was reading a novel, for I was finally hearing and looking into the silences I’ve wanted to ask my mother about her womanhood in Jamaica and her immigration to New York as a single mother of three. Patricia Powell is one of our greatest Caribbean writers. Me Dying Trial is an inspiration.” —Alexia Arthurs, author of How to Love a Jamaican
“Patricia Powell does something golden in her storytelling—she uses our Jamaican dialect to effectively communicate our pains, sorrows, and triumphs. Me Dying Trial is a powerful work of fiction and an absolutely important contribution to Caribbean literature.” —Nicole Dennis-Benn, best-selling author of PATSY and Here Comes the Sun
Author
Novelist Patricia Powell was born in Jamaica and moved with her family to the United States in 1982. Powell has taught creative writing at Harvard University, Wellesley College, MIT, and Standford University, and is currently Professor of English at Mills College in California. She is the author of A Small Gathering of Bones, The Pagoda, and The Fullness of Everything.
