This book, wow.
I don’t even know where to begin!

This story is told during various timelines, by three women separated by generations. Mother in law. Mother. Daughter.

It takes us from life in Jamaica as an interracial couple, raising their biracial son, to Canada where they have another child (Kareela) and face racism much more than they ever did in Jamaica.

Living every parent’s worst fear, the death of their son, they try to navigate their grief, which causes their relationships to crumble.

Struggling with her own demons, an unplanned pregnancy, relationship issues with her mom & boyfriend, being known as “the sister of the black man who was killed by police” but knowing few details of his death herself, and trying to find her identity & voice as a black woman, Kareela’s journey is difficult & compelling.

I really enjoyed the different POV, it gave the story depth & kept it interesting. Each woman’s struggle felt real, their sorrow tangible.

I knew nothing about the mass exodus of Jamaicans during extreme political unrest in the 80’s, nor the history of black people in Canada. It was eye opening & had me researching Canadian history, specifically the history of black people in Nova Scotia. I was left wondering why none of this history was taught when I was in school. (one of my kids did a project on Viola Davis for school, which gives me a little hope the history being taught now is better than I revived)

Thank you NetGalley & HarperCollins Canada! I received this ARC for my honest review. (sorry it was super late)

An extremely moving and at times heartbreaking, intergenerational family story told from the POV of three Caribbean-Canadian women and the way their lives are differently affected by motherhood, loss, immigration, racism and police brutality. VERY relevant to Black lives in America AND Canada and highly recommended for fans of books like The skin we're in by Desmond Cole. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: abortion discussion/consideration, rape, loss of a child from gun violence

3.75 STARS - Charlene Carr, author of 2023's popular Hold My Girl, is back with We Rip The World Apart, a story that is filled with relevant, important and poignant themes surrounding race, family and trauma.

The story uses multiple timelines and POVs that follow the lives of three generations of one family who have roots and history in both Jamaica and Canada. Evelyn is a white woman who meets and marries her Black husband, Kingsley in Jamaica where they start their family with the birth of their son Antony. But with the dangerous political climate in 1980's Jamaica, they choose to move to Toronto where they add Kareela to their family many years later. Evelyn and Kingsley begin to worry about Antony as a biracial young man who is becoming more aware of racism and its impact on him, and others like him. His parents' worst predictions come to pass when Antony is killed by police at a rally.

Carr shows readers how this incident and the resulting grief ripples through the family, impacting the parents, Kingsley's mother and young Kareela. Through these characters, she shows complexities of biracial relationships, the impact of racism (systemic, covert and overt), identity, activism and enduring issues stemming from trauma, grief and complicated family dynamics.

While this was a much slower read than I was expecting (not pulling me in until the 40% mark), the topics Carr explores gives readers much to think about and reflect upon and will instigate great discussion, making this a good selection for book clubs.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for the advanced digital copy of this book which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

A family trying to build their life but with some circumstances they have to faced, Anthony got shot, now the question is what really happened during the confrontation. Was there a motive, accidental, targeted due to their colour? Its like reliving the "Black lives matter" and the situation surrounds the misrepresentation of people and the stigma around it.

A tragic family story which you can read in one sitting.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers for the ARC.

3.6/5 Stars

We Rip the World Apart is written with a shifting POV between three generations of women. There’s Kareela in the present day, a twenty-four years old who is biracial and has just found out she’s pregnant. Her mother, Evelyn, is white, and her story begins in 1997 during the time when she’s living in Jamaica- the country where she moved as an adult, met her husband, and had her son. And we also hear from Violet, Evelyn’s mother-in-law, and Kareela’s grandmother. She’s moved from Jamaica to Canada to be close to her family.
All three women are carrying their own stories. Their own trauma and grief. Although there are themes of family, much of the book is about racism, police brutality, BLM, and discrimination. I appreciated that this book took place in Canada and provided that lens. I also learned about the Jamaican Exodus of the 1980’s, which I previously didn’t know much about.
The story is meandering and for that reason, I do prefer (and recommend!) Hold My Girl by the same author. But this is the type of book that lends itself to discussion, and would be a good book club pick.
3.5 stars rounded to four!

Title: We Rip the World Apart
Author: Charlene Carr
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: January 30, 2024

I received a complimentary eARC HarperCollins Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad

T H R E E • W O R D S

Complex • Thoughtful • Engaging

📖 S Y N O P S I S

When 24-year-old Kareela discovers she's pregnant with a child she isn't sure she wants, it amplifies her struggle to understand her place in the world as a woman who is half-Black and half-white, yet feels neither.

Her mother, Evelyn, fled to Canada with her husband and their first-born child, Antony, during the politically charged Jamaican Exodus of the 1980s, only to realize they'd come to a place where Black men are viewed with suspicion—a constant and pernicious reality Evelyn watches her husband and son navigate daily.

Years later, in the aftermath of Antony's murder by the police, Evelyn's mother-in-law, Violet, moves in, offering young Kareela a link to the Jamaican heritage she has never fully known. Despite Violet's efforts to help them through their grief, the traumas they carry grow into a web of secrets that threatens the very family they all hold so dear.

Back in the present, Kareela, prompted by fear and uncertainty about the new life she carries, must come to terms with the mysteries surrounding her family's past and the need to make sense of both her identity and her future.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Charlene Carr's Hold My Girl was my most surprising reads of 2023, so it was easy to select We Rip the World Apart as my most anticipated book of the month project for January. My expectations were definitely high, and Carr delivered once again, yet this time in an entirely different way.

Written from multiple POVs across multiple timelines, this compelling novel explores the search for identity and belonging as a biracial person; systemic racism and the Black Lives Matter social justice movement; motherhood; and generational trauma. I struggled to situate myself in time and place through the first 50 pages, but managed to settle in thereafter. Each of the characters was so real, although not always likeable. It was interesting to get different internal thoughts on the various topics covered. The story unfolds rather slowly, and there is a bit of a lull through the middle, yet I think it all has its purpose within the story.

Charlene Carr does a phenomenal job detailing the ripple effect of events that happened in the past and how they continue to affect people years later. Carr manages to show the both sides of the activism coin, as well as, the cost of keeping quiet through three generation of women. There is a lot of pain, yet there is also growth, especially when it comes to the main character. As a reader I was aware fairly early on of some of what was to come, yet there was continually an undercurrent of mystery.

We Rip the World Apart didn't have the same urgent pacing as Hold My Girl, yet it tackles so many themes that are sure to spark so much thought and discussion. It made me sit in reflection with my own thoughts and feelings. It's also a blatant reminder to anyone who thinks racism isn't the same in Canada. With this book, Charlene Carr has established herself as a powerhouse in the Canadian literature world, and I cannot wait to continue to support this talented author.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers looking for more #CanLit
• Jodi Picoult fans
• bookclubs

⚠️ CW: racism, racial slurs, police brutality, murder, gun violence, domestic abuse, physical abuse, child abuse, sexual assault, rape, death, sibling death, child death, death of parent, grief, mental illness, alcoholism, pregnancy, miscarriage, abortion, animal cruelty, car accident, fire/fire injury, pandemic/epidemic

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"But I know enough to know that sometimes the thing you're afraid of, that you step away from, is exactly the thing you should step toward."

"She turned to the window, though it didn't matter where she looked. Her son was everywhere and nowhere."

"Sometimes bad things happen, and something there's no clear reason why, nothing we could have done to prevent it and nothing we can do afterward to make it right. So all we can do is move forward, as best we can, try to believe there is still good in the world. Because there is."

"That's not my job. It's not my job to make white people comfortable."

"That's just life. Things get stolen. People get stolen. Along with parts of us that never should."

"'If there be one thing me got right,' she says now, 'it be to carry on. Because life, no matter what form it in, no matter de pains tacked onto it, means something.'"

This is a beautiful, thoughtful and compelling novel about motherhood, family, racism and belonging written by Canadian author, Charlene Carr. I was pulled into this haunting story from the outset and was captivated throughout. I found it hard to put this one down.

Set in the 1980s, 1990s and present day, this is the story of Evelyn, a white woman, her Black Jamaican husband, Kingsley, and their mixed race children - Kareela and Antony, who are living in Canada after having left Jamaica due to political violence and unrest. We learn early on that Antony is killed by police in Toronto after participating in a Black Lives Matter rally.

The plot unfolds primarily from the perspectives of Evelyn and Kareela as we watch the family struggle to move forward, dealing not only with Antony’s death but also with overt and systemic racism, job discrimination, motherhood and multi-generational trauma. Kareela’s struggles with, as a biracial woman, where she belongs, her identity and what she stands for, are well-developed as is Evelyn’s grief at the loss of her son. Equally interesting are the male characters - Antony’s efforts to address racism and Kingsley’s approach to meld into white society so he can provide for his family. I was pulled into the lives of these characters.

I really enjoyed the plot, characters, and pacing of this novel. I highly recommend this thought-provoking, emotional read.

Thanks to Harper Collins Canada and Netgalley for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

I truly really loved this story and found it very engaging and hard to put down. A teeny part of my enjoyment stems from my delight at a book being set in Halifax area where I live (is this how NYC readers feel all the time?!) but aside from that, this one is culturally representative of this area (we live peripherally close to the Preston community mentioned in the book).

Setting aside (but thank you, Charlene, for writing a book set here!), the characters in this story were multi-faceted with real-life feelings that felt complex but also evolving. I loved the way the book unfolded with several timelines and multiple points of view presented. I felt fully compelled to stay in both timelines and hug both female main characters who were feeling so many moments of pain and confusion.

This book was not an easy one to read, nor should it be, as the fictional events portrayed in the BLM movement are still far too real and realistic in today's society, but I did find it gripping and thought-provoking and a story so well told.

I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to read and review an ARC copy of We Rip the World Apart by charlene carr! I recently discovered this fantastic Canadian author by reading Hold My Girl near the end of last year and so I couldn't wait to read this one!

Evelyn, a white female meets her husband Kingsley in Jamaica. When the political climate became dangerous in the 1980s, the young couple moved to Toronto and raised their young son, Antony. Growing up half black in Toronto in the late 90s/early 2000s was a different kind of dangerous, and Evelyn and Kingsley feared for their son's life anytime he came in contact with the police, whether that be during a peaceful rally, or unfortunately could even happen when driving his car or walking down the street. When their nightmares are realized and Antony is killed by police officers, their family is never the same.

Evelyn's daughter Kareela (Antony's much younger sister) is the other FMC and shares her POV mainly in 2022. She is living with her boyfriend (who is white) and when she finds herself pregnant she is unsure if she wants to both commit to the relationship she is uncertain about and bring a child into the world. As the story unfolds, readers learn that the complexities of being Black or in a mixed-race relationship in Canada, as well as the discrimination they face on a daily basis, and even more so, the dangers that come with that discrimination.

I did find that some of the timelines were a bit difficult to keep track of. Even though the chapter title said "Evelyn 1997" it didn't necessarily mean the whole chapter took place in 1997, sometimes part of the chapter was a reflection on what had taken place when she lived in Jamaica or when she was growing up etc. For the most part it was clear enough, but at times I thought it could have been a tiny bit clearer. Similarly, early in the novel I was confused about location for some of it, but once I realized that Kareela was in Halifax, and Evelyn was in Toronto until around 2010 at which point she moved to a small town in Nova Scotia, then it made more sense. It was probably more me not paying enough attention.

Carr did an excellent job with this one, her story gives readers such a neat perspective, especially in the Canadian context, because there are people out there who think racism doesn't exist in Canada or "isn't as bad as the states". Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher, harpercollinsca for giving me the chance to read this fantastic ARC!

Ooh, this was another really thought-provoking read from Charlene Carr! I found the first half fairly slow, it seemed like Kareela was just doing the same thing and having the same conversations over and over again. Eventually it picked up and the second half was really excellent. A fascinating look at generational trauma, mixed-race identity, and activism.

It's always so fun to read a book set in Halifax too!!