The Boy From Willow Bend by Antiguan Author Joanne C. Hillhouse
The Boy from Willow Bend tells the story of Vere, an Antiguan youth, with an irrepressible spirit which is tested as he comes of age amid poverty, loss, and hard knocks.
The women in his life – his absent mother, long suffering tanty, rebellious June, first crushes Kim and Makeba, and first girlfriend Elizabeth – help shape him; so, too, his abrasive grandfather and others. In the end, though, he grows into his own person; bright, talented, a survivor. Publisher: Hansib (2009); Macmillan (2002). UK.
“Joanne Hillhouse has written a novel that not only teaches a lesson for life, but it also unveils psychosocial problems faced by children who daily cope with abandonment, unstable homes and abuse in the Caribbean and other areas in the world.” – Althea Romeo Mark, writer, 2012
“For its thoughtful rendering of complex issues such as gender, class, migration and death, for the swiftness of Hillhouse’s prose, and especially for the captivating personality with which she endows the title character, readers will be instantly drawn to this narrative.” – Dr. Natasha Lightfoot, Antigua and Barbuda Review of Books, 2011
“Too many Caribbean children are in Vere’s unstable social position. This makes Hillhouse’s novel great for discussion.” – Debbie Jacob, Trinidad Guardian, 2004
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