Publication Date: January 30, 2024
A lyrical, lush, evocative story about a fractured Jamaican family and a daughter determined to reclaim her home.
When Pearline receives grave news about her ailing father, she abruptly leaves Brooklyn for her childhood home in Jamaica. But Pearline isn’t prepared for a tense reunion with her sisters or for her father’s startling deathbed wish that she repair their long-broken family legacy and find the sister and two brothers no one has seen in more than 50 years.
Moving through time and place, from modern-day Brooklyn and Montego Bay to 1930s Havana and back again, The House of Plain Truth is a journey through generational secrets and a family coming to terms with its past.
Inspired by the author’s own history, this soulful novel explores a fascinating story of immigration, divided loyalties, and what one woman must sacrifice in her attempt to find home.
Heritage emerges as a key theme in The House of Plain Truth, set in Jamaica, as three sisters wrestle with the aftermath of their father’s death.
Author Donna Hemans introduces readers to Pearline, Aileen, and Hermina and their troubled relationship. Pearline has left her life in the United States for her father’s last days, so her expanded worldview differs significantly from her sisters.
It’s not until the reading of her father’s will does Pearline understand the last words he spoke. She’s determined to complete the task of locating Annie, which also serves to establish her legacy.
What ensues is a mission to dig into a carefully constructed past that doesn’t quite reflect the truth. The answers are found in Cuba, the country that had rejected the family decades ago and forced a return to Jamaica.
The dialog is sprinkled with Jamaican patois, but it enriches the storyline and brings the characters to life. Amid health scares and heartbreak, the sisters finally uncover the truth their father was unwilling to reveal.
The House of Plain Truth showcases a family thrown into disarray when faced with digging up the past.
Donna Hemans is the author of two previous novels, River Woman and Tea By the Sea, which won the Lignum Vitae Una Marson Award. Her short fiction and essays have appeared in Electric Literature, Ms. Magazine, and Crab Orchard Review, among others. She is also the owner of DC Writers Room, a co-working studio for writers based in Washington, DC. Born in Jamaica, she lives in Maryland, and received her undergraduate degree in English and Media Studies from Fordham University and an MFA from American University.
