A Cupboard Full of Coats

This book begins with an older man knocking on a London door in the pouring rain. The man is from the worst part of Jinx's past, the part involving her stepfather and the murder of her mother, for which she feels responsible. Lemon was her stepfather's best friend. Together, over the following days, they discuss their shared past.

Edwards begins her book by making Jinx, the narrator, unsympathetic and then works forward to make her actions and thoughts understandable. This is an uncomfortable book, with its theme of domestic violence tied to the coming of age of a teenage girl. Jinx may have made her home as clean and uncluttered as possible, but as Lemon cooks for her, her house fills with the tastes and aromas of her childhood, as the show more only child of an emigre from Montserrat, and with that the memories of when her mother fell in love with the wrong man. show less

What would you do if you opened the door to find a man you hadn't seen in 14 years standing on your doorstep, a man who disappeared from your sixteen year old life? What if you had loved him with every fiber of your teenaged self? What if the last night you saw him was the night your mother died, was murdered? What if you held yourself responsible for her death, you felt you killed her? How would you respond to this man from the past then? This is the opening premise of Yvvette Edwards' first novel, a novel longlisted for the Booker Prize.

Jinx has spent the past fourteen years blaming herself for her mother's violent death. She is so full of guilt and anger at the situation that she is completely emotionally frozen, unable to connect show more even to her young son Ben. Her husband Red moved out with Ben when he was just a baby and Jinx hasn't been able to repair the relationship either with Red or with Ben because she is so trapped by her feeling of culpability. So she lives a lonely and unfulfilled life. But when Lemon shows up on her doorstep, he starts to thaw her just by his very presence, forcing her to remember that terrible night and what led up to it.

Inviting him to stay, Jinx is afraid to re-open herself emotionally to Lemon but he gently and insistently takes her into the tragedy of his own life, having just lost his wife and been estranged from his own son for his son's entire life, as he leads her to face the biggest tragedy of her life. Alternately narrated by Jinx and by Lemon, the past comes to life as they finally speak of Jinx's beautiful mother and of Berris, her fiance and lover, the man who murdered her in a fit of jealous rage. Each of them adds layers to the tragedy, sharing from their own perspective, admitting their feelings from the time, exposing what drove them to act the way they did, finally creating a complete and total picture of that night. As Lemon listens and expands on Jinx's understanding of the events leading up to her mother's murder, he cares for her, nurtures her, and cracks open her heart just the tiniest bit, allowing her to finally face all her confused and unhappy feelings, to share the unspeakable, and to let go.

The novel is exquisitely written. It takes place over one weekend although it ranges backwards fourteen years and to the months leading up to the murder. There is a slow uncovering of long, intentionally buried memories and Edwards uses all of the senses to show this blossoming, describing sights and sounds and noises with a startling vividness. And she tackles race, conceptions of beauty, abuse, love, family, and coming of age surprisingly fully all within this relatively short novel. The way that the reverberations of the murder leak into every crevice of Jinx's life and the way that her all-consuming guilt dooms her to be an emotionally distant and confused mother are convincingly shown. While there is certainly no doubt as to the fact of the murder (it is made clear almost from the start that Berris went to prison for it), the way in which the whole truth about the circumstances is revealed is masterfully done, keeping the tension of the story constant and drawing the reader ever forward. Intense, passionate, and brimming with emotion, this is a compelling read. show less

This is a brilliantly written, passionate mother-daughter story. Jinx has lived very contentedly with her mother Joy after the death of her elderly father leaves them financially secure. Joy, however, hides from her daughter her desire to be with a man and her unhappiness with their quiet life. When she falls in love with Berris, a fellow expat from Montserrat, the household turns upside down as the relationship between Joy and Berris leaves Jinx feeling rejected. Berris's friend Lemon steps into the fraught situation and provides comfort for Jinx. But there are dark places in all of these relationships and when tragedy occurs, there's more than enough blame to be shared and even more difficult forgiveness to be rendered. Somehow, each show more character is simultaneously innocent and guilty.

As told by Jinx, the story immerses the reader in the back stories of each character as if we are inside their heads. It's a genuinely strong and sorrowful read. show less

“A Cupboard Full of Coats” is a book about domestic violence that focuses more on thoughts and actions than plot. What do you do and think and say when your best friend is an abuser? What do you do and think and say when your mother is the abused? And what do you do with all the secrets and the pain that still linger many years later?

Domestic violence is not an original topic; it has been covered in many books and movies. But Edwards has taken the ordinary and made it extraordinary. There is much about the book that is wonderful. The characters are complex and utterly believable. It is richly atmospheric with the culture and dialect of both the West Indies and East London. And perhaps what is most remarkable is the structure the show more author uses.

The story slips back and forth in time, with nothing in the past or in the present quite making sense, but slowly unraveling, slowly revealing, until it is fully told. It is mysterious and tense and laden with emotion. And when the author explains the cupboard full of coats of the title, it is rich with symbolism and heartbreakingly perfect.

Amazingly, “A Cupboard Full of Coats” is the author’s debut novel. She is a remarkable talent and wholly deserving of the Booker nomination. show less

Jinx is a beautiful but deeply troubled east Londoner born to Caribbean immigrants, whose life was shattered 14 years ago when her mother Joy was brutally murdered by Berris, her second husband and Jinx's stepfather. Jinx blames her own jealousy and spite for her mother's murder, and has shut herself off from everyone, including her ex-husband and their young son, until the day that Lemon, Berris' best friend and a man she has admired since she first met him as a teenager, knocks on her front door. Lemon seeks to makes amends for his role in her mother's murder, now that Berris has just completed his prison sentence. During an intense weekend, filled with deep emotions and tempered by Lemon's irresistible cooked meals, the two relive show more their own separate and interlinked past histories, the passionate but troubled relationship between Berris and Joy, and the seemingly benign but malicious acts that led to Joy's murder.

A Cupboard Full of Coats is an intense and gripping debut novel which was an interesting selection for the Booker Prize longlist. I don't expect it to be selected for this year's shortlist, as it lacks the rich character development and complexity of the typical Booker fare. However, this being a far from typical year for the prize, I wouldn't be completely surprised if it does appear amongst the six finalists. show less

Jinx lives up to her name. We find out on the first page that she killed her mother 14 years ago. Life since than hasn't been kind to her. She has a strained relationship with her 4-year-old son who lives with his father... "the capacity to hate and hurt was bigger inside me than any capacity to nurture." (Pg. 35) I did not like Jinx in the beginning of this book, but I felt sorry for her and was glad when family friend Lemon reentered her life bringing hope with his patient ways and his stories.

Over the course of a weekend of Caribbean food and revelations, we learn that things aren't always the way they appear and that good can come out of the most hopeless situations. This book deals with painful topics and is the type of book I show more usually avoid; however, I'm glad I took a chance with this debut novel.

The author's sensual prose reveals the memories, both good and bad, that Jinx has suppressed over the past 14 years. She has lived almost half of her life in a state of emotional paralysis due to a night of terror followed by guilt. Sometimes it takes a journey into the truth of the past to unleash the possibilities of the future. This book may not be worthy of the Man Booker Prize, but it deserves its place among the nominations. show less

Fourteen years ago Jinx's mother was killed in a terrible case of domestic abuse. Jinx blames herself for the death of her mother, and in so doing, cuts herself off from virtually all human connection, including her ex -husband and young son.

When Berris, Jinx's stepfather is released from prison, an old friend of both Berris and Jinx's mother stops by with the excuse that he is "just passing through and thought I might stop by."Jinx reluctantly allows him in, and the two of them spend the weekend talking and remembering the dreadful death of her mother.

Cubboard of Coats is a wrenchingly honest and gritty look at domestic abuse and its far reaching impact on family and friends.I found it to be a compelling and insightful read. Initially show more I was concerned that the subject matter might be too dark, but I quickly found myself totally immersed in the tale.

Cupboard of Coats never wallows in cliches, nor does it resort to stereotypes. A sad but ultimately redeeming read, not to be missed.

4.5 stars. show less