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JAMERICAN CONNECTION Sandra A. Ottey
$20.95 Paperback / 396 Pages
ISBN 059161588
Writer’s Showcase / 2001
Fiction / African-American Fiction
Sandra Ottey’s novel about the variously interconnected lives of three
women presents a realistic panorama of traumatic domestic relationships.
Love and doubt, abuse and dependency, rebellion and deliverance, create a
mosaic of realistic situations where true love and true strength ultimately
manifest themselves in a dramatic, soap-opera-like plot that bridges Jamaica
and New York City.
Rose Thorn’s story, though quite different from those of the other three
women, may be seen as paradigmatic: A high school dropout trapped in an
abusive marriage, fights for her right to decide her own future. Being in a
position of weakness and dependency vis-à-vis her exploitative husband
Donovan, she is callously abused by him, cheated, humiliated, and even
raped. However, at some critical point in the continuum of abuse, and out of
apparently nowhere "a sea of strength pours over her," and she rises to
claim her humanity stolen by her brutally oppressive husband. Her explosive
anger toward him turns dangerous as her resistance becomes physical after an
intolerable instance of abuse and humiliation, perhaps the last straw for
her. "With a combination of all her determination and strength she distances
herself from him. On their dresser they kept an eleven-by-fourteen-inch
photo of themselves on their wedding day. With fire in her soul and rage in
her heart she reached for it and whirled it directly at him. But he saw it
coming and quickly ducked out of harm’s way. Damn, it missed. The heavy
brass picture frame bounced off the wall and the glass broke into little
pieces as it hit the floor."
But Rose’s rebellion is not exhausted in a merely instinctive physical
response. Rose makes full use of the subtle reasoning gifts of her feminine
ingenuity and the support of her women friends manages to both liberate
herself and teach Donovan an unforgettable lesson.
Wendy Arnold, a well-respected Brooklyn-based College Professor crumbles
under the stress and strains of her long-distance relationship with her
Jamaica-based high school sweetheart, Miles. The difficulties they must
overcome are many. There are times when it seems impossible that they will
end up together. The distance, work commitments, difficulties in dealing
with escalating phone bills and plane fares, indecisiveness about uprooting,
and the possibility of falling in love with someone else, all contribute to
making their ardently wished-for union seem unattainable.
Laverne, a gifted cosmetologist, struggles with her doubts regarding her
lover’s identity, as she unearths the complex background of his
Brooklyn-based family. The situation is dramatically and unexpectedly
resolved giving the reader a profound glimpse at the complex character of
human relationships.
The Jamerican connections of these three women spin into an engrossing
web. A dynamic network in which false pretenses, suspense, domestic abuse,
infidelity and deceit construct a multidimensional novel that keeps the
reader captivated to the end.
Sandra A. Ottey was born in
Kingston, Jamaica, but has lived most of her adult life in the US.
She earned a B.S. degree in Business from Medgar Evers College of the
City University of New York (CUNY), and a M.S. degree in Management from
Polytechnic University in Brooklyn.
"JAMERICAN CONNECTION," presently published by iUniverse.com, is Miss
Ottey's debut novel. She wrote this three-plot story as an inspiration to
high school and college dropouts to pick themselves up, dust themselves off,
and go on to achieve their deferred educational goals and stunted career
ambitions, despite life's many obstacles because dropping out of school is a
"mistake," but definitely not a "dead-end."
The author currently lives in New York, and is also working on her second
novel. Her hobbies are traveling and listening to all types of music.
She has one adult daughter, Sara, who presently lives in London. |