Book Club- Here Comes the Sun

Last month we read Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn. It was a great book that I would highly recommend! It takes place in Montego Bay Jamaica and follows the women in a family in a small village town. Margot is one of the main characters and we learn what she’s willing to do for her little sister, Thandie, and also how history has a bad habit of repeating itself.

The writing was amazing, I could actually picture the huts in the town and the resort where Margot works. It was a heart-wrenching story, though, seeing what all these women go through and the complicated relationship they both have with their mother.

The ladies and I all appreciated that the central characters in the book were all women and people of color. There were several queer characters, which unfortunately isn’t common in a lot of fictional works we’ve read, so it was nice to see them represented. This book brought about a lot of great discussion surrounding race, class, guilt, and family.

Part of me wants to read this book again because there were a lot of elements in the story to think about. However, it was also really sad so I’m not sure I could endure it. Does that make sense?

Book rating: I recommend this for anyone that wants to be challenged by what they read and go on an emotional journey. (9/10)

Having the story take place in Jamaica gave me lots of inspiration for the menu. Here’s what we had:

Rice and Peas – This was mentioned in the book. Even though it’s called Rice and Peas, it’s actually seasoned rice with kidney beans.
New Woman chicken – Beecher’s has a really tasty cheese called New Woman that combines cheddar and jerk seasoning. I roasted chicken breasts and melted this on top for an easy entree.
Cornmeal Pudding – This was another item mentioned in the book, so I made it for dessert.
Jackfruit- Our local grocery store has large hunks of this tropical fruit, I thought it would be fun to try with the book club ladies. It has the texture of a firm mango and tastes like bubble gum, mango, pineapple, and cantaloupe all combined.
Rum Punch (recipe below)

I’d love to hear what anyone else who read this book thought about it. We have a new member of book club (welcome Jayanthii!) and she chose our next book, What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. Don’t forget (pun totally intended!), you can check out all of our books on my Book Club Pinterest board.

I thought it would be fun to make a batch of rum punch as the cocktail for this book. Rum punch can sometimes be too sweet so I wanted to lighten it up and add more coconut flavor by using coconut water in it. it really did the trick!

Pour all of the liquid ingredients in a pitcher and stir. Add the pineapple chunks and you’re ready to go! Serve by pouring over ice in glasses.