by Nalo Hopkinson
Recommended by Sarah Raughley
Brown Girl in the Ring is set in the future in metropolitan Toronto. The rich and privileged have fled the city, barricaded it behind roadblocks, and left it to crumble. The inner city has had to rediscover old ways—farming, barter, and herb lore. But now the moneyed need a harvest of bodies, and so they prey upon the helpless of the streets. With nowhere to turn, a young woman must open herself to ancient truths, eternal powers, and the tragic mystery surrounding her mother and grandmother. She must bargain with gods, and give birth to new legends.
Themes of feminism and racialized women, and the use of magic, “Obeah,” or seer women are prevalent throughout this novel. Nalo Hopkinson presents strong female characters who take control of their fate to make change in the world. Her novel is a work of feminist science fiction and shows a realistic perception of the struggles women face as single parents, as well as the struggles women with different cultural beliefs face in society.
Click below to download the discussion guide.
About Sarah Raughley
Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario writing stories about freakish little girls with powers because she secretly wanted to be one. She is a huge fan girl of anything from manga to sci-fi/fantasy TV to Japanese role-playing games, but she will swear up and down at book signings that she was inspired by Jane Austen. On top of being a Young Adult writer, Sarah has a PhD in English, which makes her doctor, so it turns out she didn’t have to go to medical school after all.
About the Author
Nalo Hopkinson
Nalo Hopkinson is a Jamaican-born Canadian speculative fiction writer and editor. Her novels (Brown Girl in the Ring, Midnight Robber, The Salt Roads, and The New Moon’s Arms) and short stories such as those in her collection Skin Folk often draw on Caribbean history and language, and its traditions of oral and written storytelling. She currently lives and teaches in Riverside, California.
