Contemporary Fiction — The Book Roads

Here Comes the Sun

Nicole Dennis-Benn

Set in Montego Bay, Jamaica, Here Comes the Sun follows three women from the same family as they struggle to survive in a society shaped by poverty, social inequality, and the pressures of tourism. Margot works at a luxury resort and secretly takes on sex work to pay for her younger sister Thandi’s education, hoping to give her a future beyond the hardships they have known. Their mother, Delores, is equally determined to secure the family’s financial stability, while Thandi struggles with expectations about beauty, class, and success. When plans for a new hotel threaten their community, the women must confront difficult truths about their desires, relationships, and sacrifices. Beneath Jamaica’s image as a tropical paradise, Dennis-Benn reveals a more complicated reality of exploitation, colourism, homophobia, and the lingering effects of colonialism. The novel is a powerful exploration of identity, belonging, and the price of pursuing a better life.

Jamaica 2016