Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

This novel explores the lives of twelve women of color in England.  Each chapter is written in the voice of the woman being featured and talks about her life and the various hardships and obstacles she has encountered.  The women's lives are intertwined in various ways and those relationships are explored as well.

Amma is a gay playwright.  Her work has been experimental and on the fringes but is finally starting to get mainstream support.  Her work partner is Dominique who handles the business end of setting up and managing plays.  Dominique goes to America with her latest partner and ends up in an abusive relationship where her partner wants to control her every movement and thought.  Shirley is one of Amma's oldest friends and is a teacher who starts out inspired but becomes cynical over the years.  She mentors students she thinks will benefit and Carole is one of these.  Carole goes on to become a banker with a stable marriage while her best friend LaTisha ends up working dead end jobs and having three children by three different men.  Bummi is LaTisha's mom and a cleaner while Carole's mom, Winsome ends up in an adultous relationship with Carole's husband.

Yazz is Amma's daughter and has grown up self-confident and sure of her path.  She is currently in college.  Penelope is another teacher who works with Shirley and who goes through several marriages.  Megan/Morgan is a woman who rebels against the upbringing and expectations of her parents and ends up in a stable relationship with a transgender man who is now a woman.  They spend a lot of time at the farm of Morgan's grandmother, Hattie.  Hattie accepts Morgan and Bibi's relationship and plans to leave the farm to them rather than to her daughter, Grace and her other children who never showed any interest.

This novel won the Booker Prize in 2019.  It is an interesting viewpoint into the lives of everyday women and how they manage to live their lives and work out the difficulties they encounter all of which are amplified by the fact that they have to handle the racism that is endemic.  The stories require close reading as it is easy to miss a touchpoint between the various women if the reader isn't paying attention or to lose track with so many main characters to keep up with.  But it is a magnificent work and one that will richly reward the reader.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction and those interested in reading more about the experiences of women of color.