One for Sorrow, Two for Joy: Winner of the Diverse Book Award 2023

Product Information

LitHubshares “ Everything You Need to Know About Groundbreaking Queer Feminist Science Fiction Writer Joanna Russ.” I am also an author, whose debut novel One for Sorrow, Two for Joywas published by Oneworld Publications in Autumn 2022. One for Sorrow, Two for Joy tells the story of Stella, a child of Ghanaian parents, born and raised in Brixton. Stella is born into the chaos of domestic violence and struggles to make sense of the world around her. She touches wood so that bad things won’t happen to her or her family - until she learns a poem about magpies, ‘one for sorrow…’ In my writing, I draw on my experience as a British Ghanaian South Londoner to explore the identity of Brixton, the myriad ways it has changed over the years and the impact on the community while offering a sensitive portrayal of the ripple effects of domestic violence, and a defiant story of friendship, resilience and hope. Another thing I loved are the themes: friendship, survival, and intergenerational trauma. Friendship is a beautiful thing and Amuah did a good job describing how the story of friendship can be a saving grace.

Marie-Claire’s dexterous depictions of depression, anxiety and compulsive/ritualistic behaviours are beautifully balanced with doses of warmth, humour and hope. There is an honesty to her writing, which makes it both relatable and truly profound. Before I delve deeper into my thoughts and themes explored in this book, one thing I really like to commend Marie-Claire Amuah for is how the opening sections of the book are written. Curtis Chin, author of Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant: A Memoir(Little, Brown), speaks to Washington Post . Characters that would have people thinking "wow, how are you so amazing" while they are going to bed everyday thinking "I don't know what I'm doing".One of the many reasons I read is to better understand the world but it's also to better understand myself. Other times it's to try and escape. This was a story about survival, the beauty of friendship, the yearning for sibling camraderie, the affects of childhood trauma, the fallout of that being passed from parent to child and the way we are able to navigate adulthood based on what we've been taught about our individual existence. For me, I LOVED the portrayal of friendship, I think the author’s writing shined during those moments and I lived for them. I wanted more. This is such a great read! I loved that inter-generational abuse is explored and how we were parented ultimately affects how we parent, and how there is often resentment to other family members who maybe have been on the lesser end of receiving the violence and guilt that we were put into that situation at all. It opens with our MC Stella still at school and the writing style cleverly reflects this. It's like reading the diary of a child and as much as she is dealing with some utterly harrowing experiences, I found it incredibly honest and innocent in a way that compelled me to keep reading. As the MC grows and matures, so does the prose to reflect this.

It was refreshing as hell to meet so many multifaceted people (Mum/Nurse Florence). That was one of the things that made it so relatable, realistic and sooo conflicted. Stella’s boyfriend, Christian, seems perfect until he loses his temper. Amuah explores the blight of domestic abuse – how trauma is often intergenerational and the damage long-lasting. She also examines the effects of violence on its bystanders, too paralysed to help. Stella’s pain reveals itself in unexpected ways. She becomes increasingly superstitious, convinced her happiness depends on the daily appearance of two magpies.No-one in this book is entirely perfect and no-one in this book is entirely evil. Because people aren't. Amuah has captured what it is to be human so, so well, even down to the brief moments we see the clients Stella represents as a barrister. And, regardless of her flaws and regardless of the situations we see her walk into as a naive young woman, I so rooted for Stella. A story of survival, strength and resilience this story often broke my heart, and there are many trigger warnings in here but Marie-Claire writes in such a tender, compassionate way that I couldn't put it down. Things I liked: The survival story of Stella is very beautiful and inspiring. Though the story centres on abuse and dealing with trauma, it also gave me a sweet survival and success story which filled me with hope. These sections are written from the perspective of Stella when she was 8, but in a way which makes you think about how an 8 year old would articulate themselves and process their life experiences. I'm often astounded by debut novels and how the talent authors possess and Marie-Claire Amuah is no different. I read this book just in disbelief that it's a debut because its honestly a masterpiece.