Sweet Pea - by Kit De Waal (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The unforgettable story of a Black woman who creates her own chosen family after tragedy, in a "warm and wise" tale (Observer UK) of the enduring power of a mother's love.

When Paulette arrived on English shores as a young girl, she left behind a grandmother in St. Kitts who called her "Sweet Pea," taught her to cook, and admonished her to avoid temptation and embrace love and forgiveness, in that order. Now Paulette is twenty-nine and in love with Denton, who she hopes to start a family and have lots of children with. But then Denton is killed in a car accident, and Paulette is left to grieve, as Denton's friend Garfield finds his way into her bed. Soon their son is born, Bird, and Paulette decides to give Bird the best of everything, even as she lets Garfield go. Then, in a twist of fate, she meets the man who was behind the wheel of the car that killed Denton, and the grandson who he is having trouble caring for, a young boy the same age as Bird. Despite her grief and anger, Paulette takes the boy under her wing, and soon she is cooking him meals, making sure his clothes are clean, and letting him call her Sweet Pea. As the years go by, Paulette begins to understand the value of forgiveness, and most of all, love, and how much allowing it to guide her life has provided the strength she needed.

Beautiful and profound, Sweet Pea is a tender and emotionally-compelling novel about the healing power of one woman's love and care for her found family.

Review Quotes

"A profoundly compassionate novel of devastating power and emotional complexity." --Bernardine Evaristo

"Tender... A beautifully judged tale extolling the virtues of kindness." ―Guardian (UK)

"Affecting... a story of loneliness and sacrifice that navigates great sorrow with a remarkable lightness of touch." ―The Times (UK)

"Everything de Waal has written pulls at the heartstrings... tenderly explores how to build a life of meaning." ―I-Paper (UK)

"A beautiful novel about kindness and found family." ― Mail on Sunday (UK)

"De Waal's tone is warm and wise... she has a knack for the small charming moment. Very moving."― Observer (UK)

"Paulette's life story is ultimately told with deep affection and tenderness, allowing the reader to form a genuine connection with her and those around her."―Irish Independent

"De Waal takes an ordinary life and renders it extraordinary."--Monica Ali

"Beautiful. De Waal has the power to astound, to lift and console, to make life with her sentences."--Donal Ryan, author of The Queen of Dirt Island

"This is a book of such tenderness, full of pain, grief and despair and yet playful and joyful at the same time. Kit de Waal has an uncanny ability to create vivid characters with such empathy that I want to reach into the pages to hug them. I truly loved this book."--Liz Nugent, author of Strange Sally Diamond

"What a wonderful novel, bursting with life. Kit de Waal is a writer who knows all the secret longings of the human heart."--Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of Ordinary Time

About the Author