Britain. The story of twelve women, three by three in four different parts of the book, like a puzzle. Often closely linked, a mother and a daughter, sometimes just passing through the story of another woman. Black women or thinking they are not because they don’t know where they come from. Stories through time, through loss and discovery, through self-knowledge and self-affirmation. A very touching book that had me crying at the end.
“Gotcha, so here goes: women are designed to have babies, not to play with dolls, and why shouldn’t women sit with their legs wide open (if they’re wearing trousers, obv) and what does mannish or manly mean anyway? walking with long strides? being assertive? taking charge? wearing ‘male’ clothes? not wearing make-up? unshaved legs? shaved head (lol), drinking pints instead of wine? preferring football to online make-up tutorials (yawn), and traditionally men wear make-up and skirts in parts of the world so why not in ours without being accused of being ‘effeminate’? what does effeminate actually mean when you break it down?”