Jamaica Road - by Lisa Smith (Hardcover)

About the Book

"South London, 1981. Daphne is the only Black girl in her class. All she wants is to keep her head down, preferably in a book. The easiest way to survive is to go unnoticed. Daphne's attempts at invisibility are upended when a boy named Connie Small arrives from Jamaica. Connie is the opposite of small in every way: lanky, outgoing, and unapologetically himself. Daphne tries to keep her distance, but Connie is magnetic, and they form an intense bond. As they navigate growing up in a volatile, rapidly changing city, their families become close, and their friendship begins to shift into something more complicated. When Connie reveals that he and his mother 'nuh land'--meaning they're in England illegally--Daphne realizes that she is dangerously entangled in Connie's fragile home life. Soon, long-buried secrets in both families threaten to tear them apart permanently"--

Book Synopsis

A transformative love story about two best friends who fall for each other, fall apart, and try to find their way back together in their tight-knit British-Jamaican community.

South London, 1981: Daphne is the only Black girl in her class. All she wants is to keep her head down, preferably in a book. The easiest way to survive is to go unnoticed.

Daphne's attempts at invisibility are upended when a boy named Connie Small arrives from Jamaica. Connie is the opposite of small in every way: lanky, outgoing, and unapologetically himself. Daphne tries to keep her distance, but Connie is magnetic, and they form an intense bond. As they navigate growing up in a volatile, rapidly changing city, their families become close, and their friendship begins to shift into something more complicated. When Connie reveals that he and his mother "nuh land"--meaning they're in England illegally--Daphne realizes that she is dangerously entangled in Connie's fragile home life. Soon, long-buried secrets in both families threaten to tear them apart permanently.

Spanning one tumultuous decade, from the industrial docklands of the Thames to the sandy beaches of Calabash Bay, Jamaica Road is a deftly plotted and emotionally expansive debut novel about race and class, the family you're born with and the family you choose, and the limits of what true love can really conquer.

Review Quotes

"A luminous, powerful debut."
--People

"A winning debut... A sensitive portrayal of growing up Black in London... The novel resists final judgments and easy answers, recalling F. Scott Fitzgerald's marker of a 'first-rate intelligence' -- the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind, to 'be able to see that things are hopeless yet be determined to make them otherwise.'... Profound."
--Marion Winik, Boston Globe

"Smith's dialogue is pitch-perfect. Most impressive is the way she draws Daphne and Connie, both complex characters constantly looking for somewhere to fit in. The writing is top-notch, and the novel manages to be heartfelt but never sentimental. This is a major achievement from an author with talent to spare. A moving, beautifully structured novel from an incredible new voice."
--Kirkus, starred

"Smith's captivating debut sees a British Jamaican woman take stock of the friendships and sense of purpose she found in her youth in 1980s Southeast London... In a narrative enriched by lilting patois and vibrant details of Jamaican cooking and the period's ska scene, Smith's well-rounded characters spring to life. This gritty drama hits hard."
--Publishers Weekly, starred

"Poignant and gripping... Both deeply personal and powerfully political, tackling injustice without ever feeling didactic. Jamaica Road is a compelling, emotionally charged read that feels as urgent today as it would have decades ago, an unforgettable story of love, resistance, and self-discovery."
--Booklist

"Lisa Smith's debut is rich with emotional depth... Tender, tense, and beautifully crafted."
--Rhody Magazine

"Jamaica Road vividly captures what it means to grow up between cultures--the ache of not quite belonging, the horrors swallowed in the name of fitting in. Smith's rendering of 1980s South London is dazzling-rich in detail and atmosphere. At the powerful center is the evolving relationship between Daphne and Connie, stretched across time, fraught history and family crises. Smith has crafted a tender, nuanced, and unforgettable coming-of-age story."
-- Essie Chambers, author of Swift River

"A powerful, beautiful portrait of lives that are being lived every day, histories that are being written over and love that fights through every possible challenge thrown its way. Jamaica Road is a truly incredible novel of wisdom, pain and joy that will inspire writers for years to come, and Lisa Smith is a storyteller of immense talent."
--Ore Agbaje-Williams, author of The Three of Us

"Jamaica Road is a tender and moving coming-of-age story. With a keen eye for emotional nuance amid life's complexities, Lisa Smith shows us how friendship and love can endure, even when tested by time and tragedy."
--Anissa Gray, author of The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls and Life and Other Love Songs

"Lisa Smith's Jamaica Road masterfully spans a decade, introducing us to unforgettable characters as they navigate love, loss, injustice, and hope in 1980s London. An immersive debut full of heart."
--Jenny Tinghui Zhang, internationally bestselling author of Four Treasures of the Sky

"Jamaica Road exudes love. Even amidst the violent roil of history, Lisa Smith renders her heroine Daphne's adventures in romance, friendship, and family, with a wisdom and warmth that jumps off the page."
--Vanessa Chan, internationally bestselling author of The Storm We Made

"Immersive and sweeping, Jamaica Road is a richly rendered portrait of community, family and coming of age in a vibrant and turbulent world. With remarkable prose and unflinching depth, Lisa Smith masterfully captures the frailty and resilience of youth in the face of systemic and personal hardship. A novel to savor."
--Mai Sennaar, author of They Dream in Gold

"Young love, enduring friendship and the complexity and vibrancy of multi-generational Caribbean families set in 1980s London, this moving coming-of-age novel tackles contemporary issues of race, class and belonging. Smith's evocative prose had me thinking about Connie and Daphne long after I closed the book. An impressive debut from an exciting new voice."
--Diana McCaulay, author of A House for Miss Pauline

"A tender, marvelous ode to love in all its forms: familial, communal, romantic. Written with care and wisdom, these characters are some of the most memorable fictional persons I've come across in a long time. Lisa Smith is an inspiration."
--Alexia Arthurs, author of How to Love a Jamaican

"Jamaica Road describes the journeys of its characters with loving and meticulous detail. Through the eyes of her heroine--the plucky, determined Daphne--Lisa Smith deftly portrays a world in flux, in which tenderness and solidarity thrive in spite of and in response to the pervasive and intertwined forces of racial, political, and patriarchal violence. A wise and moving tale of love, loss, redemption, and renewal."
--Gina Chung, author of Sea Change and Green Frog

"A compelling exploration of the awkward beauty of coming-of-age, the exhilarating torrent of young love, and the complicated quest of immigrant home-making--all packed into a considered inter-family drama rife with secrets, surprises, and characters you can root for."
--Christina Cooke, author of Broughtupsy

"Understated and beautifully affecting, unblinking in its examination of friendship and era... Smith is a fiercely compassionate writer. Connie and Daphne are a gift I didn't know I needed.
--Leone Ross, author of This One Day Sky

"Full of 1980s South London nostalgia, Jamaica Road is a beautiful story about love, friendship, and the importance of community. Daphne and Connie leap off the page as real historical events serve as the backdrop to their own struggles and triumphs. A wonderful read."
--Louise Hare, author of Harlem After Midnight

"A deeply affecting story of love and friendship. Daphne's voice is transporting as she turns her sharp eye on the decade unfolding around her while trying to unravel the tangled loyalties at home. Lisa Smith has crafted a beautifully expansive and vividly detailed tale."
--Sarah Marsh, author of A Sign of Her Own

"Lisa Smith's deft weaving of the story of Daphne and Connie's friendship set against the backdrop of a febrile 1980s London makes for a hugely immersive and wonderfully entertaining read. Jamaica Road is bursting with heart. I highly recommend it.
--Carole Hailey, author of The Silence Project

About the Author

LISA SMITH is a writer and filmmaker from South London born to Caribbean parents. She has an M.A. in Creative & Life Writing from Goldsmiths, University of London, where she won the Pat Kavanagh Prize in 2019. Her short story "Auld Lang Syne" won the 2017 Guardian 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize, and she was a 2020 London Library Emerging Writer.