The Heart Does Not Bend

By Makeda Silvera

Book Overview

Family loyalty, betrayal and the redemptive power of love are at the heart of this poignant and unforgettable novel set in Canada and Jamaica. When Maria Galloway dies, she leaves everything to her... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679311343
• ISBN13: 9780679311348
• Release Date: February 2002
• Publisher: Random House Canada
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.4" x 0.8" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Oh, Canada

Brava, Makeda on your wonderfully-written first novel! The level of honesty in this book is eye-opening and refreshing to say the least. The use of patois throughout is courageous and it is this choice, more than any other, that lends a certain authenticity to the work that ultimately makes it a success. In one stroke, Ms. Silvera has brought several groups who are so often overlooked to the fore: Jamaicans in Canada, gay men in Jamaica, lesbian women. So many people go to "foreign" (countries) to obtain a better way of life, and this book beautifully shows the way that families are often bisected by the very binationalism that ensures their survival.

Engaging

That Makeda Silvera is talented is beyond doubt. This story is engaging and the characters are authentic. The language flows elegantly; images are persuasive and at intervals the words are so lyrical they would slip off your tongue if you were to read them aloud. In "The Heart Does Not Bend" Ms.Silvera paints a portrait of a family which is recognizable beyond the confines of the Jamaican community. Mama, the matriarch, is complex and self contradictory. She loves her children but cripples them with her criticism and disapproval. Her homophobia exists alongside her willingness to accommodate members of the gay community whom she finds entertaining and exotic. Mama's daughter inherits her strength and her self righteousness. Her sons are a motley crew. The eldest is devoted to and dominated by her. Another, although he loves her, is deeply injured by her unwillingness to be supportive of him and is unable to forgive her, even in death. Her youngest son is charming and irresponsible. Mama, disgusted by this son's irresponsibility, raises his son whom he has abandoned, to be charming and irresponsible. Small things about the novel disturb me. Educated Jamaican professionals do not speak patois in a formal setting. Ms. Silvera has doctors and civil servants speaking rank creole. I also have an uncomfortable feeling that Ms. Silvera was in a hurry to finish the story; certain elements of the plot strike me as underdeveloped. Notwithstanding these, by no means fatal detractions, the novel is a good read.

GO SILVERA

When i first saw this book in the store i was wishy washy about geting it but once i did i could not put it down. I am jamaican myself so i can relate to all of the struggles others face moving to a new country. I love the book from page 1 to the every end. I will not tell the story but i will say GET THE BOOK NOW!! >first canadian author book that i love

You Have To Read This!!!

The first time I saw The Heart Does Not Bend by Makeda Silvera, I instantly picked it up. The cover photo caught my eye, and I knew it was going to be worth reading-or at least I hoped so. The cover has the face of a young black woman with her eyes closed, and the hibiscus flower just below. That was what drew me to this this wonderful book. The Hibiscus is Jamaica's National Flower, and when I flipped through the book and saw that most of the dailogue was in patois (broken English), I fell in love right then and there!!!I loved this book for many reasons: it was set in Jamaica, my homeland, it's about migrating to Canada, which I did, and the writer paints a picture that is so authentic; you could almost see, smell, hear, taste, and touch everything she writes about. She is like a painter, the way she describes everything was beautiful! I also loved the fact that the author was generous enough to include the recipes for Christmas cake, and Sorrel drink. I do plan to try these one day, since I've never made either one. It really took me home! I could relate to the story on many different levels, and felt connected to the story from the very beginning. There were a few similarities that made this book really fascinating to me, that I read this book in no time at all. At the end of the book I almost started reading it all over again because I now had all the info I needed about the different characters.The book starts off in present time and then goes back into the past, which I really liked. It made me so much more eager to read it in order to put the pieces together. The grandmother, Mama, seemed like a really loving, and kind person, yet her final decisions were shocking! Her daughter on the other hand did not know how to love her own child. Her grand daughter loved and cared for her and even sacrifised her lover for her, and it seems this all went unrewarded. Her unruly grandson, who only took advantage of her every chance he got was the one who she rewarded in the end. It just goes to show that in love, there are no guarantees. Just because you love someone unconditionally, with every fibre in your being, make sacrifices for them, help them, take care of them etc. etc. does not guarantee you a place in their heart. I guess this was what I learned after reading this book. It seems very simple, but it's hard to grasp until you've lived it. This is my 4th attempt to write a review for this book and I suppose the time was not right. I had not "gotten" this message until very recently, so I'm very happy that my computer logged off during my previous reviews--even though I was furious at the time. Every thing in life happens for a reason. I read this book for a reason, and I'm so glad that I did.This was Miss Silvera's first novel, and I'm sure she is VERY PROUD of it. I know it made me very proud to be Jamaican! Thank you for teaching me that "The Heart Does Not Bend".