Review: Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other

Bernardine Evaristo’s ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ tells the story of black womanhood in Britain from the perspective of twelve distinctive voices. Confronting themes of racism, gender, sexuality, friction between generations, but also the difficulty of finding selfhood and identity in an often-hostile society, Evaristo’s joyous yet darkly comical observation creates strong characters that are also beautifully flawed.

Evaristo’s experimental use of form blends each narrative into a rich tapestry of voices and, by omitting full stops, the language appears conversational as though spoken directly to the reader which is both personal yet confronting.

The novel begins with the ‘brutalist grey art complex’ of the National Theatre, a looming symbol of a once promised progressive and diverse future. From this landscape Evaristo begins and ends her purpose and interrogation. The building and what it proposes becomes a checking mechanism as the reader must consider whether the movement towards a diverse and unified Britain has ever or will ever be achieved. The novel acts as an answer to the question posed by this cultural object as Evaristo intends to unify and celebrate what has for so long been underrepresented - the lives of black women in Britain.

Evaristo’s purpose is to portray, on a human level, how we often struggle to hold onto our unique selfhood in the pursuit of acceptance. Evaristo asks, must we always risk losing the integral parts of our diverse individuality? The Ghanaian Adinkra symbol that begins the novel means ‘unity in diversity’ and Evaristo therefore presents the need for a compassionate link between us that does not restrict our individual nuances. When the dynamic narratives of black experiences emerge from the text, it is impossible to ignore the powerful voices that demand representation, understanding, and unity.

An important novel that confronts the issues of Britain’s past and present, ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ is joyous, heartbreaking and a novel that will change how you see the world.