I opened Sweetness in the Skin on a sunny afternoon in my garden and couldn’t stop reading. As the first sentence (below) immediately states – this is Pumkin’s (coming-of-age) story. Packed full of warmth and charm, while also tackling some pretty serious issues. What Sweetness in the Skin does so well is balance the two elements.
Opening sentence: My name is Pumkin Patterson.
Say hello to Pumkin
Akisha Patterson, known to everyone as Pumkin is our hugely endearing lead character. She’s a 12-year old girl growing up in Kingston, Jamaica in the 1990s. She is from the poorer side of the island, living in a 2 bedroom house with her grandmother, aunt and mother.
Pretty much rejected by her mother – a complex relationship that is tenderly explored – Pumkin forms a close bond with her aunt Sophie. Sophie has clear aspirations and ambitions and wants herself and Pumkin to rise out of the poverty they were born into. She instils this in Pumkin from a young age so that Sophie’s dream – to move the France – becomes Pumkin’s.
‘We will always have to prove we belong, Pumkin, because in truth, we do not. We’re just passing. We need to pass.’
Pumkin’s class divide is explored further with her friends, Tamara and Mandy, who are examples of her two worlds. Tamara lives downtown like her but Mandy is from uptown and lives a life of wealth and privilege.
Pumkin has to pass the French language test in order to stand a chance of moving to France with her aunt and rising up the social scale, but lots of obstacles are thrown her way, will she get everything she always (thought) she wanted?
Delicious bakes and heart-warming themes
I loved how the themes of making your own family, following your heart and not living a life pretending to be something you’re not come through so loud and clear in Sweetness in the Skin. It’s gorgeous to read from the POV of a character who is moving into her teenage years and discovering these things for herself.
Running throughout the story, some characters talk in Jamaican Patois dialect, which really works to immerse you into Jamaican culture and there are so many exquisite food descriptions (Pumkin is an excellent baker!), my mouth was watering!
You leave Sweetness in the Skin in such a good mood, rooting for Pumkin all the way, you know she’ll make the right decision for her, even if its not the one you’re expecting.
Sweetness in the Skin is a debut novel from Ishi Robinson and I’m very much hoping the next instalment of Pumkin’s life is her next book!
- Get your copy of Sweetness in the Skin here;
- Published by Michael Joseph 2024;
- 368 pages;
- Book review rating:
Books on the 7:47 
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