We’ve been working with Donna Hemans, a wonderful Jamaican American writer who is gaining visibility in the literary world. Her new novel, TEA BY THE SEA is a story of a family uniting and unraveling told seamlessly and with smart, clear prose. From Brooklyn to the island of Jamaica, TEA BY THE SEA traces Plum Valentine’s circuitous route to find her daughter and the child’s father, who walked out of a hospital with the day-old baby girl without explanation. Seventeen years later, weary of her unfruitful search, Plum sees an article in a community newspaper with a photo of the man for whom she has spent half her life searching. He has become an Episcopal priest. Her plan: confront him and walk away with the daughter he took from her. Instead, Plum finds herself locked in his church with her daughter and by the time it’s all over, Plum is the one in the back seat of a police car facing charges. TEA BY THE SEA is a poignant, multilayer story, that is beautifully written and touches on so many important and relevant issues including immigration, family secrets, mother-daughter relationships, parental kidnapping , betrayal and motherhood.
The novel has received some great attention. Donna was interviewed on Zibby Owens’ popular, Mom’s Don’t Have Time To Read Books podcast, the book was included in The New York Post’s “Best Books of the Week,” and The Rumpus ran an engaging interview with Donna called “An Exploration of Belonging.” Donna’s original essays have also recently appeared in Electric Literature: I Can Only Save My Grandparents’ Home by Preserving It in Fiction and in Ms. Magazine: Picking Meat From Tiny Bones: Coping with Coronavirus, Isolation and Aging Parents.
The bloggers also love TEA BY THE SEA. Check out the blog tour’s full schedule of reviews, interviews and more:
The Livre Café | 6/1
Jessica Belmont | 6/2
Fiction Matters | 6/3
Everyday I Write The Book | 6/4
Never Without A Book | 6/6
The Book Decoder | 6/7
Book of Cinz | 6/8
Nurse Bookie | 6/9
This Brown Girl Reads | 6/10
Jennifer Tarheel Reader | 6/11
Book Reviews and More by Kathy | 6/12
Girl Who Reads | 6/13
Suzy Approved Book Reviews | 6/14
Blunt Scissors Book Review | 6/15
Syllables of Swathi | 6/16
Collector of Book Boyfriends | 6/17
Gimme The Scoop Reviews | 6/18
Reading Between the Wines Book Club | 6/18
Miss Bibliofancy | 6/20
Audio Killed the Bookmark | 6/21
Gail Renatta | 6/21
Chocolate Covered Pages | 6/22
Storybook Reviews | 6/23
Long and Short Reviews | 6/24
BNJ Reads | 6/25
What Is That Book About | 6/26
Eno Books | 6/27
Beth’s Book Nook Blog | 6/28
Amy’s Booket List | 6/30
Book and Pen In Hand | 7/1
Bree McIvor | 7/2
Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More | 7/3
Karukerament | 7/4
Suzanne Bhagan | 7/6
