Never Far From Nowhere - Andrea Levy

This is my fourth Levy novel and she continues to grow in my estimations and has become one of my all-time favourite authors. Never Far From Nowhere encompasses Levy's usual brilliant way of blending both hard-hitting, poignant themes with humour, gaiety and heartwarming moments in her novels. This story follows the dual protagonists Olive and Vivien who are sisters born in London to Jamaican parents - but the sisters look very different. Olive has inherited more of her father's African genes which mean her hair is frizzy and her skin darker, whilst Vivien has taken more of her mother's Spanish and Indian features which has given her wavy black hair and a fairer complexion. Because of these physical differences, the sisters each have very different experiences with prejudice and racial injustice, particularly in their formative years.

Both girls grow up facing adversity at school and into their adult lives, each feeling the need to conform but ultimately choosing very different paths. Vivien is studious but extremely impressionable, and finds herself getting involved with the wrong sort at school when she could achieve far higher in her education; Olive settles with a boy at a young age and soon finds herself struggling as a young single parent with no money and no permanent home. This, in combination with their mother's denial to accept her own heritage and that of her daughters, results in the sisters struggling with their own identity - from a young age it has been drilled into them that appearing less 'black' makes you more desirable, and they grow up without feeling a sense of pride in their racial heritage. Vivien chooses to conform to this view and try to fit in with her fellow students, whilst Olive tries to fight this ideology and remains stubbornly true to herself. This is exemplified when Vivien tells her friendship group that her parents are from Mauritius instead of disclosing her true heritage - the truth is soon revealed, however, when she introduces them to her boisterous and unashamed sister, Olive.

Levy's novel offers a pretty bleak portrayal of the challenges and prejudices faced by immigrants in Britain, but with snippets of hope and humour scattered throughout which offer some respite from the tough content. Trigger warning for this one - scenes of abuse are scattered throughout and there are some moments which are particularly difficult to read featuring the acute ill-treatment and prejudice towards the characters in this novel. In all, another brilliant story and a great addition to my collection of Levy novels!