Genre: Women’s fiction

Synopsis: In Baxter’s Beach, Barbados, Lala’s grandmother Wilma tells the story of the one-armed sister. It’s a cautionary tale, about what happens to girls who disobey their mothers and go into the Baxter’s Tunnels. When she’s grown, Lala lives on the beach with her husband, Adan, a petty criminal with endless charisma whose thwarted burglary of one of the beach mansions sets off a chain of events with terrible consequences. A gunshot no one was meant to witness. A new mother whose baby is found lifeless on the beach. A woman torn between two worlds and incapacitated by grief. And two men driven into the Tunnels by desperation and greed who attempt a crime that will risk their freedom – and their lives.

Content/Trigger Warnings: abuse, death, death of infant, drugs, manipulation/toxic relationship, racism, trauma, violence

It’s so hard to rate a book like How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House. I found this book to be a beautiful book but such a painful and heartbreaking story. I was reminded of a more modern-day Their Eyes We’re Watching God. 

I’m not a big fan of historical or literary fiction. I much prefer contemporary lit, romance, thrillers, etc. but this book was certainly worth the read. Just be aware that there are a lot of traumatic events in this book and many triggers throughout the story. It’s super heavy and hard to read most of the time.

If you really enjoy literary fiction and plot lines of traumatized women and the things they overcome, you’ll enjoy this one.