« A journey to the discovery of self and the true purpose of self is one of the most important journeys any being can embark on”. Kemoy Edwards-Sylvester
Grab You Some Lemons by Damien Marcus Williams takes the reader on his journey to the discovery of self. It starts with a recollection of his childhood experiences and ends with him blossoming into manhood amidst a world fraught with ambiguities, nemeses and doubts. Grab You some Lemons presents the triangular journey of a hero striving to synthesize his antithetical experiences as he journeys to self actualization and self realization; this deep novel appeals to the logos, ethos and pathos readers.
Grab You Some Lemons finds its authenticity in its logical appeal. From the very beginning, the author offers personal accounts and testimonies to validate the story. The biblical references and first person narrative are used to provide a factual account of the reported life of the narrator for the personal experiences are substantiated and reinforced by the biblical references. The first person narrative is particularly compelling since the author, although not omnipresent ( as would be the case for third person narrative), experiences his life from the perspective gaze of the Other. This is an experience which is particular to the author but it is at the same time universal since we as readers experience the same perspective gaze of the Other; we find ourselves judged and we are often forced to consider the authenticity of our Othered selves.
The logical appeal of the novel is further highlighted through the many illustrations and examples the author conveys, for instance, we are reminded of common human challenges such as love lost, love gained, hunger, betrayal, friendship, wisdom, and exile. The author is firstly uprooted from Trinidad and Tobago at the tender age of three. This physical exile and sense of not belonging continues in Grenada and finally in Jamaica. These three Caribbean countries constitute the triangular physical and spiritual journey of the author who like his ancestors, find himself exiled physically and spiritually ( by the Other) and forced to embark upon a triangular journey to the discovery of self. Making the most of the lemons, coming to the discovery of self and freeing oneself from spiritual enslavement are the best ways of dealing with exile as is depicted in this novel.
Damien Marcus Williams, through his novel, appeals to readers’ ethos for the reader is ultimately left with an understanding and appreciation of Damien Marcus Williams, the man, in his authentic self. Having embarked on the journey with him, having read about his experiences in his neigbourhood villages of Tivoli and New Hampshire , having been exposed to his recollections of life inside and outside of the Jamaica Theological Seminary, the reader cannot miss the integrity and authenticity of life presented by the writer. The integrity, love, humanity and humility epitomized in the life of the protagonist and narrator cause the reader to develop confidence and trust in the voice telling the story; a voice reaching out to humanity and appealing to us to embrace our challenges, grab our lemons and make the most of them.
This is the same voice that moves the reader to experience pathos. Although the reader may want to feel pity, Grab You some Lemons is urging us to rise above pity, in essence, forget the pity party and embrace suffering. We are urged to see suffering as that inevitable human constant which catapults us into our destiny and the author draws on biblical and philosophical analogies to highlight the same. Grab You Some Lemons is analogous to Albert Camus’ Myth of Sisyphus in which the futility and absurdity of life (symbolized in Sisyphus’ boulder and Damien’s lemons) can amount to a meaningless rote existence. However, Damien’s novel triumphantly diverges with the Hope that he offers readers. Yes, there is HOPE!
Finally, this HOPE is intricately crafted in the triangular journey conveyed in the novel and it can be examined through the thesis, antithesis, synthesis framework- another triangle! Our life’s dreams, visions, goals and aspirations constitute our THESIS. The harsh realities and challenges of life- the lemons, the boulder and the perspective gaze of the Other constitute our ANTITHESIS. But, our SYNTHESIS is our philosophical perspective as we face the challenges and realities that can affect the realization of our dreams. As Damien suggests, let us Make Lemonade! For years, we have been bombarded with notions of the duality of life- life is either good or bad. However, our Reaction, our Synthesis is far more rewarding than the good or bad experiences, in and of themselves. What do we make of them? Grab You Some Lemons encourages us to accept a triangular approach to life. This triangular approach is embodied in the craft and in the author’s message-“ Do you have dreams? Is life extremely challenging? Well, Grab You Some Lemons: Make the Best out of Life’s Sour Moments.”
“Kemoy Edwards-Sylvester MA, BA is a doctoral student at the University of Bath’s International Centre for Higher Education Management (ICHEM) where she is currently pursuing research in International Education. She is a former OAS Scholar and graduate of the University of Massachussets Boston ( M.A- Applied Linguistics) and The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus ( B.A French and Spanish 1st class honours).
Kemoy currently lectures in French, Communication Studies and Foreign Language Acquisition at the T.A. Marryshow Community College and is the Chair of the Department of Arts, Humanities and General Studies. She is also a tutor with the University of the West Indies Open Campus and off course an avid reader of books!”
Good review, however language could be made more simple