Author Melanie Schwapp presents within the Jamaican context a modern version of The Ugly Duckling in her novel, Dew Angels.
Set in Jamaica, the tale chronicles the life of Nola Chambers, a teenager who struggles to find acceptance in a family and community with which she can find no common ground, as her physical features are dissimilar to theirs. Nola is born in Redding, Clarendon, a seemingly middle-income, rural community where the Jamaican parlance “anything too black nuh good” remains an absolutism. She is the “black sheep” of her family; born with the Afro-Jamaican features of her much-gossiped about great grandmother, unlike her family which has mulatto features, and for this she is the recipient of abuse by one who should have protected her – her papa.
As Schwapp’s heroine seeks for belonging, she is forced into a relationship – against her will – with one of the community’s outcast, Dahlia Daley, and her mother Merlene, who runs a bar, a place considered to be a house of sin. But just as Nola comes to terms with her own family and begins to feel like a piece of jigsaw puzzle falling into place with Dahlia and Merlene, her life takes an about turn which climaxes in her having to escape to Kingston to find a new life.
Without giving much more of the book away, this reviewer believes that Schwapp delves into the psyche of Jamaican life which, though some are in denial of this fact, thrives on prejudice. Prejudice is not only portrayed in the colourism practiced in the district of Redding, but as the reader will discover, permeates the entire society, whether it be rural versus urban prejudice, prejudice against those who are intellectually handicapped, and oh yes, against women.
The author is skilful at developing characters, as with each plot twist she adds different layers and dimensions to each character, such as Mad Aggie and the smoking woman, Val. In fact there are not very much ‘extras’ in this cast of characters, just very robust supporting ones which competes for the readers’ attention and interest.
This reviewer also notes that particularly for female characters in Dew Angels, Schwapp takes special care in how she presents them, and so one would think that book is written with a feminist agenda, as in Aunt May’s bundle of sticks; however, the writer only challenges us with truths which we must face. (We must do a soul-searching to identify if we, individually and collectively, have such deep-seated prejudices).
Dew Angels is a book about self-discovery. Despite the many setbacks faced by Nola Chambers, most of which she blames herself for, she soon discovers her inner beauty and the strength of character she has to rise above, find her ‘glory’ and ‘agape’, and ‘never break’. By the end of the novel, which shifts from the third person perspective to first person, she realizes that all the events of her life pointed to her creating her own story and following the other voices around her.
Melanie Schwapp has written an amazing story to which any reader can relate; one that has the potential to become a Jamaican classic. Dew Angels is a must read.