My book review of Dominoes by Phoebe McIntosh.
Title: Dominoes
By: Phoebe McIntosh
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 288
Release Date: March 12th, 2024
Publisher: Random House
Rating: ★★★★☆
Summary from Goodreads:
A tender and provocative debut novel about a mixed-race British woman who makes the shocking discovery in the days leading up to her wedding that her fiancé's family may have enslaved her ancestors
Dominoes opens in London, twenty-nine days before the wedding of a young couple. Layla is a mixed-race woman--with a Black, Jamaican mother and a white father she's never met--and Andy is a white man of Scottish descent. When they first meet at a party, they can't believe how instant their chemistry is, and how quickly their relationship unfolds. But the commonalities between the two outweigh their differences; funnily enough, they even share a last name: McKinnon.
Layla's best friend, Sera, isn't so sure--about Andy, or the fact that her best friend is engaged to marry a white man. As Layla's wedding date approaches, Sera prompts her friend to research her heritage more, and in the undertaking, Layla makes a shocking discovery: It's not just possible but extremely likely that Andy's ancestors enslaved Layla's in Jamaica, and that the money from that enslavement helped build his family's wealth.
What seemed like a fairy-tale romance is suddenly derailed as Layla begins to uncover parts of her history and identity that she never could have imagined--or had simply learned to ignore. The task takes her to Jamaica for the first time, where she meets family members for the first time, and uncovers truths about her family's history that will change the way she thinks about herself and her future. As the clock ticks down to her wedding--four days, three days, two days--Layla must make a decision: commit to the man she loves or expose a shameful history that has gone unspoken for far too long.
Conversation-starting, open-hearted, and unforgettable, Dominoes shows us that only by fully confronting the past can one hope to move forward.
Review:
In my opinion, the key to a good book is the emotions it evokes. I felt so deeply after every page I turned, my emotions were raw by the time I finished the book.
Layla was a wonderful character. She seemed sweet, but strong. At times her emotions got the best of her, but it made the her feel real and relatable. Sera frustrated me from almost the very beginning, but that's what created tension throughout the story. I wanted to slap her, but at the same time hug her. She had unhealed trauma that spilled over into her relationship with Layla.
I think where the story really came together for me was the trip to Jamaica. Layla really wanted to know her roots. Painful roots, but part of her DNA. Her character really came full circle here. She grew into a full, complete person and she was able to move forward.
Final Quote:
“Shouldn’t throw you too much,” I added. “Same spelling. Different person."
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I couldn't put this read down. read it from start to finish in one sitting. There's so much to unpack between these covers, but worth every word.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
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