This short novel about a Trinidadian boy growing up in Scarborough with his mentally ill, hard working mother and older brother paints a vivid picture of the poverty and squalor of the area around Lawrence Avenue and the Rouge River valley, in Toronto in the 1980s. It was populated largely by first generation immigrants, gangs of street youth, and broken families trying to eke out a living, largely ignored and despised by their more more affluent neighbours.
The writing is a bit disjointed, as the story is told by the younger brother, in part before and in part after the older brother is shot and killed by the police, with time shifts that can be confusing.There is nothing very profound here although the plight of thousands of underprivileged children growing up in profound poverty in our midst is a stark reminder that we live in a very unequal and unjust world.
A light easy read.
Thanks, Rhynda.
The Passionate Reader 