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If I Never Went Home chronicles the lives of two young women who feel disconnected from their families yet have a desperate sense of belonging. Bea Clark and Tina Ramlogen are victims of dysfunctional environs. While growing up in Trinidad, Bea grew attached to a father who one day walked out of her life and left her in the care of a verbally abusive mother. Although close to her mother, Tina has no idea who her father is and longs to figure this out. This desire is accentuated when Tina's mother dies suddenly and she is left in the care of family members who neither have no use for her, nor help answer her nagging familial question. In spite of childhood differences, Bea and Tina share similar harrowing experiences. Yet neither knows that the other exists until their journeys slowly begin to converge.
Persaud's ingenious use of split narratives, written in third and first person narratives, has produced a heart-wrenching story of survival. Bea, who has a successful career as a clinical psychologist, is haunted by flashbacks to her childhood, while alternating chapters unfurl the harsh world thrust upon Tina from age ten on up and into her early twenties.
In her debut novel, Persaud's has a keen penchant for creating Jekyll-and-Hyde characters, especially among the interactions between the girls and their Trini families. The trite Christian pleasantries are quickly overshadowed by explosive emotional behavior accompanied by terse language. Amid the flawed family interactions, Persaud has meticulously incorporated wonderful Trinidadian culture (food, clothing, music, etc.) as well its scenery.
Persaud's novel is a serious, yet a positive read since it presents real-world situations that offer hopeful solutions. Riveting and eye opening, If I Never Went Home is an exceptionally well-written book and earmarked to be a winner.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review