There was nothing that I disliked about it. Very entertaining. Read it twice already. Will be giving it to my daughter to read also. Don't think she find it that entertaining, especially when they wrote about the pig's head in the freezer.lol I'm familiar with all of that so for me, I get a good laugh. Good luck to the author and I'm looking forward to reading more of her books. Great work.

This starts like many of my other eARC reviews this year... Wow.
This book is a collection of fascinating interlinked short stories predominantly exploring the relationship between mothers and daughters, whilst also considering the experience of the daughter of Caribbean migrant growing up in Canada, trying to straddle the cultural divides, whilst also forging their own identity.

I loved this coming of age collection of short stories, which are set out in chronological order, focusing on the mother-daughter relationship between three generations of women, whilst also exploring the concept of being the child of a migrant where you don't quite fit into either culture. This anthology really covers the complexities of mother-daughter relationships, at different generational levels, considering the concept of when love and care go too far and become control. These short stories explore some important themes through the eye's of Kara, from family relationships, parental pressures, expectations (both societal and familial), everyday sexism, the spoken and unspoken rules of family, friendship and society and the struggle of traversing and trying to understand the move to adulthood. This book really made me think about a life-experience I know very little about given my privilege but provided a perspective that I hadn't even actively considered before, looking at the disconnect felt between people brought up in different countries and cultures and the struggle they face to retain some of their cultural identity to pass on to their family. The character development is fantastic, as you grow up with Kara and experience her changing relationships with both friends and family, in what can only be reflected as the reality of growing up.

Initially, I did not realise that this was a collection of short stories and I read it like a novel. I don't think this hindered my reading experience any and I still thoroughly enjoyed the reading journey that Zalika takes you on through the POV of Kara. I did feel that the ending left a little to be desired but that is just me (I always want a little more at the end). This book was fabulous either way. I also must say while we're here that I did not initially clock that this was a debut novel, but am thrilled that we can expect more from Zalika Reid-Benta and given that at the end of the book the author explains that they are currently working on a Jamaican-inspired fantasy novel, I cannot wait. I'm so excited to see more from Zalika.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC of Frying Plantain

Kara Davis is a girl caught in the middle — of her Canadian nationality and her desire to be a “true” Jamaican, of her mother and grandmother’s rages and life lessons, of having to avoid being thought of as too “faas” or too “quiet” or too “bold” or too “soft.” Set in “Little Jamaica,” Toronto’s Eglinton West neighbourhood, Kara moves from girlhood to the threshold of adulthood, from elementary school to high school graduation, in these twelve interconnected stories. A captivating and layered collection. Enjoyed!

Zalika Reid-Benta: Frying Plantain.
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“No one really knew my family around here, but I could never snuff out the fear that my mother would be around the next corner, that a church friend of Nana’s would randomly pass by. It had been months since my mother and I had spoken to my grandmother, but a friend telling her she saw me with a boy would be enough for her to call my mother’s cell, for her to get over the pride of her silence.”
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📚Another book from net galley! Thank you so much @ dialogue books for letting me read this book, and huge congratulations to Zalika on your debut novel. It is currently available on kindle and in hardback; the paperback edition is released 2nd September 2021.
📚Frying Plantain is an insight to the childhood of Kara Davis, a Canadian-Jamaican youth. Reid-Benta navigates the tensions of conflicting identity, and the resulting pressures. Frying Plantain explores family, friendship, education, and the expectations tied to each of these, for a young black girl subject to the very different expectations of her family and friends.
📚Kara navigates the expectations of her first generation immigrant grandmother, her second-generation immigrant mother, her friends in Toronto’s ‘Little Jamaica’, her friends in the posh, predominately white school, and, perhaps most of all, the compromising expectations which she has for herself. The girl she wants to be, and the girl that she is.
📚I thought the dynamic between Kara and her mother was really interesting, especially compared to that between her mother and grandmother. There was a lot of tension, largely motivated by anger and fear. A lot of the time I struggled to understand the perspective of the mother and grandmother, and I’m not sure whether this was the intention, or if it’s because they are testament to a history I will never be able to fully grasp, a journey I will never need to undertake.
📚A lot of things in this book made me quite sad. I think I spent a lot of time feeling sorry for Kara, especially regarding her friendships. I underwent quite strong, emotional responses to some of the more difficult scenes, and this is really a testament to Reid-Benta’s excellent writing and character building.
📚Overall, I really enjoyed Frying Plantain. I found it really engaging, and at the same time, really easy to dip in and out of. It’s definitely a book that I would like to revisit, and it’s one that I would love to discuss with anyone else that has read it, because I feel like I have more to say, and I’m just not quite sure how to articulate it.

This was a really unusual format of which I haven’t read much before.

Frying Plantain is not quite a novel, nor is a short story collection. All the stories are kind-of chronological, and they all centre about Kara’s perspective, a teenager growing up in Canada with Jamaican heritage.

I found myself reading this more like a novel than a short story collection, in that I couldn’t identify a “favourite story”, but I liked the narrative style which allowed me to get to know Kara and her family and friends without a true narrative arc, but I actually really loved it as it focused more on little moments and minute stories which I really loved.

I also loved learning about Kara’s family and her heritage. I’ve recently read Brit(ish) by Afua Hirsh, which discusses the challenges of dual heritage and belonging, and this felt very similar in understanding that dichotomy.

I really enjoyed this book, in particular the characters and getting a glimpse of their lives through these little moments.

Such a fascinating collection of interlinked short stories (I had no idea they were short stories and read it like a novel). I loved Kara, and her troubled relationship with her mother felt so real and lifelike and claustrophobic. I was pretty amazed to find out that Frying Plantain was a debut - it felt so assured. I'll definitely be reading whatever the author next releases.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Frying Plantain is a coming of age story told through a series of interconnected short stories exploring the relationships between mothers and daughters set against the backdrop of being a child of Caribbean migrants and the balancing act of the navigating the cultural divides whilst forging your own identity. There was lots of good exploration of these themes such as behaviour modification, parental pressures and expectations, etc

I'm not a big fan a short stories and while the characters were the same and somewhat interconnected, the stories were still a bit too disjointed for me. I feel this reduced my reading pleasure as my expectations were not met. However, this is not a bad book, it's just not in a style i enjoy.

Frying Plantain is a debut anthology of twelve interlinked short stories about Jamaican-Canadian girl Kara Davis who is trying to reconcile her life and the culture of Toronto with that of her Jamaican heritage. It centres on her coming of age growing up in the Eglinton West neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, known colloquially as Little Jamaica and specifically focuses on a ten year period from childhood and elementary school right through to high school graduation and her admission to University. It's a nuanced, solid and highly engaging set of stories and each builds up into a cohesive whole despite them working perfectly on their own; each one gives us a little more insight into Kara’s life at that point in time, including exploring the feeling of being trapped between two distinctly different cultures, as well as between first-generation and second-generation immigrant expectations, the friction between mother and daughter, and her attempts to come to terms with being black in a predominantly white world.

This is a stunning collection of stories that each contribute further to the reader getting to know Kara, her life experiences and her family, and although it is usual for you to enjoy some of them more than others I was surprised that I loved every one of them. They were captivating, engaging and provided plentiful food for thought about the immigrant experience and the feeling of being torn between two cultures that both have a special place in your heart. Beautifully written with intelligence, perceptiveness and a subtle sophistication, this is a compendium worthy of your time should you have an interest in the issues explored in these pages. The cast of characters was really what made this book stand out. They are complex but relatable and come alive on the page; also the relationship between Kara and her mother, Eloise, is an interesting one. Exploring identity, family, culture, expectations, friendships and both spoken and unspoken rules, this is a compelling and memorable read. Many thanks to Dialogue Books for an ARC.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. The characters were clever and engaging, and getting to spend time with them was a treat. I liked the writing too - it was descriptive without ever veering into flowery territory, and I would certainly be interested in reading more work by this author. The cover is great too!

I don’t really know how to review this one. All I can really say is that I loved it.

I couldn’t put it down from beginning to end and flew through it.

It was written in a way that completely sucked me in. It was such a simple topic but something about it was addictive!

Loved it!

This is a strong collection of linked short stories that builds into a nuanced look at the life of a young girl growing up in Canada with Jamaican heritage.

Kara feels caught between the two cultures at times and caught between her grandparents and her mother at others.

Each story works on its own but as a collection we get a fuller appreciation of Kara herself, and we grow to understand a lot about her Nana and her mum. They are definitely complex characters.

I would love to know what Kara ends up doing after we leave her.

I'm very interested to read more from Reid-Benta.

Many thanks to Dialogue books and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really beautiful and intense set of short stories that all focus on a ten year period in the life of Kara Davis, a young girl born in Canada with Jamaican heritage. In many ways it's a series of coming of age stories, that all run on from each other, but before when you would typically think of 'coming of age' taking place. Alongside the experience of belonging to two cultures, of particular importance is the spoken and unspoken relationship between generations of women in this novel.

Kara Davis a child of two cultures. She is a Canadian national, and of Black Jamaican heritage. In the first story, we hear of one of her visits to Jamaica. It sets the scene for her feeling out of place - but rather than feeling out of place in Toronto, she's out of place in Hanover. She's seen as soft, un-Jamaican. Her friends have to explain words to her and speak in a Patois that is different to how Kara speaks. But when she's back at school, Kara uses and exaggerates the stories of her time there to shock and awe the white kids at school, but it doesn't impress her Black friends, who still think she thinks she's too good for them. In fact, they later show a cruel and nasty rejection of Kara.

But at no point does Kara clearly think that she doesn't fit in, or fear that she doesn't. A lot of that feeling is implied by her experiences but not explicitly stated, which is quite powerful in itself. It's quite clear that her experience of being a Black teenager in Toronto is different to that of her mother and her Nana. Her mother is writing a doctoral thesis, and working, and trying to keep a roof over their heads. She reacts aggressively and with rage to micro (and macro) racism, whilst Kara would rather keep her head down and quietly get on with things.

The relationship between Kara and her mother (Eloise), and between Eloise and her own mother is also really interesting. Eloise had Kara had a very young age, so puts a huge amount of discipline and pressure on Kara not to make the same mistakes. She has tight control over everything Kara does and Kara almost seems to fear her and her mother's rages. She rarely disobeys and only as she gets older learns how to keep secrets for herself. 

But Kara also sees the relationship between her mum and her Nana. They argue and shout and scream at each other. And she is desperate to shrink away from that and avoid confrontation. Both her mum and her Nana are proud women, who are afraid to ask for what they need from each other. But they also depend on each other and are, perhaps, ultimately lonely without the other. So much of these stories is about going too far - from protection to pranks - and how much harm too much of one thing can do.

This set of short stories is a really beautiful blend of culture and family, neither of which should be separated from the other. So much of it is just there - it's treated as is, rather than explicitly - and that's really powerful writing to get across so much meaning and understanding.

At the end of this novel, the author says that she is currently working on a Jamaican-inspired fantasy and I really hope that this comes together soon! If it's as well-written - and considerately and reflectively written - I would love to read it!

I've rated this as 4.5 stars, but I'm rounding it up to 5, rather than down.

Frying Plantain is a book of twelve interconnected stories about a girl growing up in Toronto, balancing her Canadian nationality and her Jamaican heritage and dealing with the expectations of her mother and grandmother. The stories, told both as present narrative and flashback, follow Kara, the protagonist, from childhood to graduating and starting university, as she navigates identity, family, friendships, and dealing with different worlds and rules.

Though the book is a series of interconnected stories, it felt almost like an episodic novel, as you delved deep into Kara's life and saw her relationships develop and change over time. The book looks particularly in the tensions in Kara's life between different elements of her self, not Jamaican enough but also not like the white Canadians her mother warns her she can't act the same as. There's also a lot of focus on familial expectations, and how Kara seems at times to fight a losing battle to be what her family wants her to be. Overall, the depiction is sharp and memorable, with a lot of detail that draws you in to Kara's world, and the book is a gripping look at growing up caught between expectations, rules, and identities.

Frying Plantain by Zalika Reid-Benta is about a teenage girl growing up in Canada. I’m not sure why but I wanted a bit more from it.

As an Indian, the image of plantain cooking in grease is not alien to me. An incredible debut collection Frying Plantain is as flavourful as its name suggests; a flavour that's easy to take in and yet stays long after you've taken it all in.

Almost novelistic in effect, this beautiful collection of 12 interlinked stories follows Kara Davis — a second-generation Canadian of Jamaican descent — from elementary school to high school graduation, negotiating family, control, friendship, and her own Canadian and Caribbean identity growing up in suburban Toronto.

Indeed, growing up takes up so much of this book, especially between immigrant households that do not allow (and cannot afford) children to learn by making their own mistakes. Kara is brought up with strict discipline and control exerted by her single mother and reinforced by unyielding grandparents, her upbringing assessed continually in her appearance, her obedience, her interactions (or lack thereof) with boys. She grows up understanding layers of racial experience: the different textures of prejudice, from white men or cosmetic companies; the dynamics of birth, skin colours and accents within the Island community; the pressures and fears of failure and loss of tradition; of class and the disparate selves she dons between her home, school, and neighbourhood. It's little things — like Kara and her friends choosing whether to listen to Ja Rule or Eminem — that make these stories so relevant, so relatable, so evocative. Growing up also means growing out of things — the author explores the intricacies of female friendships throughout Kara's journey — their cruelty and jealousy, but also their caring — as they wane and transform over the years; Kara slowly sheds the protective mould cast around her by her mother as she gets ready to depart for college, to a world of her own.

On a much deeper level, however, Frying Plantain draws an intimate portrait of mother-daughter relationships and their struggles over generations, be it Kara's own relationship with her mother to that shared by her mother and Nana. These are relationships of protectiveness, frustration, anger, control, and of love, talked about in a way that they rarely are. These are relationships strengthened by their exclusion of men — the absentee father, the womanising grandpa, the boyfriend kept a secret. I found the author's exploration of the turbulent relationship between Kara's grandfather and her Nana to be one of the strongest aspects of this book, her ability to show their pettiness, their respective loneliness, the fact that they're bound together, in spite of everything, by having come this far both literally and otherwise. Similarly, the way Kara's mother, who gave birth at 17, celebrates the latter's 18th birthday may be a simple story, but one that grants so much insight into her relief and her pride.

The strength and realness of Kara's voice resounds; the approachability and evocativeness of her stories is such that it brought me to tears by the last one. I finished this book in complete awe (and in record time), contemplating Kara's onward journey as well as the brilliance and artistry with which Reid-Benta has brought it to life.