Girl, Woman, Other isn’t so much a novel as it is a collection of stories, each following a different woman. The episodes are loosely linked, but each explores a different aspect of black womanhood. What is perhaps most impressive about this book is how Evaristo is able to embody every character with such conviction, how she injects passion and belief into every page. Her writing is fluid. Like water, she fills the he varying vessels of her characters and introduces us to every aspect of the human experience.
The book pulsates with a unique rhythm; Evaristo’s aversion to full stops can be jolting at first but the cadence becomes the lifeblood of the book and it wouldn’t be the same text without it.
Half poetic, half novelistic — the book defies boundaries and becomes an instant modern classic. Though I had my scruples about the rather convenient ending (this book is better than needing to be tied up in a neat little bow), this is an astonishing and generous piece of writing. It is a book about black women that every person should read.
And just because I couldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t say it: the fact this had to share the prize with Handmaid’s Tale The Sequel is a travesty.
