A Simple Distance

August 14, 2006
In this earnest debut, young attorney and biracial lesbian Jean Sousa is accustomed to living between worlds. But it's Jean's Jamaica Kinkaid–like relationship with her mother, Sophia, and her mother's homeland, the fictional Caribbean island of Baobique, that has always given her the most difficulty: "I cannot think of a single thing I hate more in this world than unraveling my mother's knots." Though Sophia has returned to Baobique after many years in the U.S., Jean still feels her reach, especially when Sophia demands to visit her in Oakland, Calif. Once there, Sophia's behavior becomes increasingly erratic, including disappearing from Jean's apartment to spend the night on a stranger's porch. Sophia's reappearance leads Jean to recall her most recent visit to Baobique, where her influential uncle lay dying and where Jean has her first sexual relationship with a woman. California attorney Silva writes standard-issue prose that occasionally strains toward portent. The scenes in Baobique convey the most interest and tension, a convincing portrait of a place at an economic and cultural crossroads. By contrast, Jean's current life in Oakland lacks texture and energy, and a legal subplot involving a same-sex couple struggling over custody of their daughter feels forced.