Vibrant ... The vivid narration shifts between her diaries and his fierce, idiomatic first person narration. Both narrators regularly dissect the complex social dynamics of modern Trinidad's still highly stratified society, the challenges of social change, and where ideas about beauty and Carnival fit within the mix ... Incisive ... The gradually revealed inner lives and motivations of both characters are equally compelling ... A vibrant, nuanced, and entertaining view of Caribbean culture, a perspective that transcends both trauma and pure escapism.
Though it’s set in the world of the Caribbean beauty industry and its fascination with makeup might seem frivolous at first glance, Mc Ivor’s entertaining first novel is anything but skin deep ... Mc Ivor uses the beauty industry to explore the rifts created by poverty, sexism, and class in modern-day Trinidad, revealing how ingrained misogyny can be in a patriarchal society and how hard it can be to overcome.
McIvor combines tight plotting and strong character development as Bianca—empowered by her late mother’s lessons of strength—gets the last word with those who’ve wronged her. This makes for a winning story of comeuppance.
