An interesting book about being of a different culture and making a place in the US. Tracing these times throughout childhood, college, and adulthood, readers understand another’s point of view. The narrator was sometimes hard to understand.

A very interesting series of short stories about a family’s experience when they came to America and all that it entails. We first meet Trelawny, who having been born in America is having a crisis of identity within himself and his family, who were all born in Jamaica. There are many ups and downs, losses, inner conflicts and conflicts within the family, some pretty awful parenting and more. Along with all of the typical familial experiences that so many deal with, there are such great divides about identity, what is appropriate, holding on to your heritage while trying to assimilate and create a successful lives, trying to define what success is when everyone has such varied thoughts and ideas, abandonment by family and so much more. A very interesting and I really enjoyed that each story was told from a different persons point of view.

These intricately woven stories tell a story that is truly larger than all of us. The initial depiction of not belonging anywhere - not with the white, black, brown - moved me to tears in the brutal honesty of youth and class. So many obstacles to overcome in the backdrop of the 1970's - racism, poverty, and the destruction of Hurricane Andrew. Such a powerful message for all who read.

If I Survive You is a novel that ebbs and flows. A combination of short stories to create an overall story, If I Survive You focuses on Trelawny and his family, a multi-generational Jamaican family from Miami, FL.

I have no doubt that there is an audience for If I Survive You and for a portion of the book I thought I was part of that audience. However, there were parts that felt disjointed, filler or unfinished.

I was the most enraptured by the focus on Trelawny's cousin, Cukie, and his relationship with his absentee father. I could read an entire novel about Cukie and was disappointed when his story ended so abruptly.

I also thought Escoffery did a fantastic job at writing, in detail, the internal struggle Trelawny had about his identity. Black and Jamaican, but doesn't sound like either and not accepted by any group.

Filler stories about being a landlord were forgettable and pulled me away from other aspects of the story.

Overall this book was middle of the road for me, 3/5 Stars.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillian Audio for an eARC copy in exchange for my thoughts.

A magnificent collection of stories, or a novel in stories—however this title is marketed, I hope it finds the broadest possible readership—told in first-person, third-person, and even (effectively, beautifully) the dreaded second-person and exploring family, race, and what it means to love a place that has brought you little happiness and even less good fortune.

Each chapter ends with a feeling of inevitability, but at the same time leaves room for hope within dark circumstances—and these are difficult effects to achieve on their own, much less to combine them. I can’t wait to see more work from Jonathan Escoffery in the years to come.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Farrar, Straus & Giroux MCD and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this debut collection of short stories by Jonathan Escoffery and fabulously narrated by Torian Brackett - 4.5 stars!

This collection of connected short stories follows the life of Trelawny, son of Topper and Sanya, who flee the violence in their homeland of Kingston, Jamaica, to settle in Miami, Florida, along with Trelawny's older brother, Delano. While they thought this would be the answer to their prayers, the family's struggles are now just very different.

The first story in this book was probably my favorite, as we see that Trelawny is now judged by everyone he meets as being wrong - he's too white, too black, too different. While he considers himself an American, he is viewed very differently and doesn't fit in with any of the "groups" in his school or neighborhood. We see the dysfunctional family relationships between all of them. I felt bad for the pull of Trelawny of wanting to escape yet wanting to be accepted.

I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook and feeling immersed in the language and culture of Trelawny's life. There is so much to think about in this book.

Forgive Yourself.

Multiple short stories are woven together in the form of a novel. "If I Survive You" follows the story of a Jamaican family trying to make it in Miami. Through hardships and attempting to find their place in an America that isn't as much of a dreamland as they once thought. The central narrator, Trelawny, vibrates through time in and out of jobs, homes, and relationships.

A beautifully written narration that describes a world that is both dreadful and dreamy.

If I Survive You is an enlightening and interesting story, but I might not be the intended audience.
I enjoyed listening to this story and I learned a lot, but I did not love it.
The story jumps around and since I listened to it, I got tripped up on some of the 'lingo' used and found myself backing up to try to understand what was being said.
Readers looking for a book about race and blended identities would likey enjoy this one.
Thank you very much to the publisher and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for my review.

IF I SURVIVE YOU by Jonathan Escoffery is brilliantly narrated by Torian Brackett.

Described as a collection of stories, I felt it read much more like a family drama with a few POV's peppered in. It was told mostly through one son, Trelawny's perspective, but we also hear from others in his family. Topper and Sonya, Trelawny's parents, fled Kingston in the 1970's to Miami, and America is not the promised land they hoped for, for them or their sons.

"What are you?" Is an oft-repeated frustrating question that propels Trelawny's quest for self with all the complexities of race in America and the constant, need to gain approval from his parents. It is a multilayered collection that allows the reader to see more of the context. It was in places funny, insightful, challenging, and raw. I am not sure I ever gained the hopeful aspect, but this does paint a hard line of a dream forced to succumb to reality.

The narration of this book was done so skillfully. The various voices presented were so unique to characters, it was easy to distinguish. The accents were so strong, I had to slow one chapter down to catch it! I appreciated this immensely as it stayed true to the character and allowed me to do the alteration to absorb it. This is my responsibility, not the narrator. Well done.

Thank you to @NetGalley, @macmillan.audio and @fsgbooks for the advanced audiobook. This is out on September 6th and should absolutely be added to your list if you enjoy generational family dramas that don't avoid tough racial issues.

If I Survive You is a collection of interconnected short stories about a Jamaican family that fled to America to avoid the violence that plagued their native Kingston. The couple and their two sons faced a new set of challenges once in Miami, ranging from their cultural identity, poverty, and the constant search for a sense of belonging. The stories provided a snapshot of the characters in various dilemmas throughout the years, but it wasn't all doom and gloom. There were moments of levity and tenderness sprinkled in that made the book easy and enjoyable to read.

That's the basic description, but it's so much more than that. These characters were real and raw, and I was always eager to see what each one would be up to when I'd start a new story. This book gave me a lot to think about, and overall, I'm super impressed with this debut. Great narrator as well!

Thank you to NetGalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux and the team at Macmillan Audio for gifting me with both an ARC and ALC of If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery. In exchange I offer my honest review.

I am a huge fan of interconnected short stories written in novel form, so I was very excited to try this debut. I will say the cover art and blurb from author Ann Patchett added to my anticipation and expectations. I initially started the book in e-galley form but quickly switched to the audio, where I became more engaged with the prose. While I know many readers frown upon author Junot Diaz, I happen to find his writing outstanding and I can clearly see an influence here in Escoffery’s pages. Our narrator is Trelawny, the youngest family member born to parents of Jamaican heritage, who have moved to Miami for a better life. Trelawny, born in the US feels like he doesn’t belong amongst his classmates, neighbors or even family. He’s constantly struggling with identity, colorism, nationality and acceptance. This theme of “what are you” reverberates throughout the semi linked stories. I did have trouble connecting with the style of writing in the beginning but at the midway point I became deeply absorbed in Trelawny’s world and found myself rooting for him. The audio narration was fantastic and really added to my enjoyment. Some stories worked better than others but overall this was a thoughtful, entertaining debut. I look forward to seeing what Escoffery writes next.

Book and audio are available September 6, 2022. Be sure to find a copy.

Oh my gosh this was incredible… I went into it a bit blindly but glad I did… read much like a collection of short stories that are interwoven this one gave a look into identity, culture, and race. Heartbreaking with a bit of humor Jonathan Escoffery name is going to go viral… this novel will move you in more than one way… one I will not forget… and I can’t wait to see what Jonathan does next!

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery.

These are short stories, many of them centered around race, immigration, family, survival, and relationships. I really tried hard to dive into these essays, but I really struggled. I definitely had my moments where the book caught me, and I also learned some things, but unfortunately, I could not get into this.

I hate giving books like this a star rating because I truly feel like it's more of a "it's not you, it's me" situation, but here we are.

This series of interconnected short stories primarily focusing on Trelawny felt a little stilted to me. I suppose that is the point of short stories instead of a novel but the changes of time or PoV left me scrambling to place the start of each story. I did like starting with Trelawny as a kid in Miami trying to connect with who he was. I appreciated his evolution and change as he continued this journey while also wrestling with his family and past.

This was a book I went into with high hopes of loving and unfortunately left feeling underwhelmed.

I did enjoy the narration of this one and would recommend the audio version for those considering it.