Small Island

by Andrea Levy. Picador 2004.

I am reading this novel for my book discussion group at the Quince Orchard Library (Gaithersburg, Maryland). It is the story of Jamaican immigrants in London, told from the viewpoints of two immigrants (Hortense and her husband Gilbert) and their landlords (Queenie and her husband Bernard). I have read 14 chapters so far (out of 59!), and I have not yet met Bernard. So far, I have enjoyed the book, although I can easily put it down for a few days. There are some very funny passages (e.g., the aftermath of Hortense and Gilbert's wedding, when he not unreasonably expects to have sex with his wife, and Gilbert's experiences with racist American military personnel [the novel is set during World War 2]).