I received the ARC. I found it an interesting and challenging read. I could read a few pages at a time to digest the complexity of love, identity, race, Jamaica history and culture and more. Moshe's "birth" or discovery by Rachel is very similar to the Moses story in the Bible, Moshe is born without skin; has one blue eye, one black eye, blond hair in the front, black hair in the back. He transcends white and black racial descriptions. The reader focuses on Moshe's heart, mind, and soul. When he meets his soulmate, Arrii, their connection is on a spiritual realm. On the physical realm, Arrii is his protector. This subtle complex love story is filled with past, present and future stories, characters that want to be loved for themselves, and Jamaica's history and culture with sugar cane. Ms. Forbes writing is lyrical, descriptive, and symbolic--very similar to Toni Morrison. Loved the authentic language Jamaica history and culture. ( )

At the heart of this book is a strange bastard child named by his adoptive mother Moshe. He was found like Moses among the reeds in a river and raised with love and attention despite his unusual face and form. An odd birth defect has rendered him pale, with two different colored eyes. He is capable of passing for white, and although his mother is believed to be a young suicide, and his father a visiting teacher, now gone, he is determined to seek out and meet his father.

His unlikely friend from childhood who would becomes closer than a sibling, is Arienne, the unusually tall daughter of a wealthy local man. The two don't fit in, and so immediately understand each other. They are inseparable and develop their own private language. They remain close until adulthood, when Moshe stows away aboard a ship bound for England in search of his birth father.

While he is gone, he writes home often but Arienne never replies and eventually marries without telling Moshe. Heartbroken, he wanders Europe before eventually returning home. Arienne has a daughter now, although she was only married for one night. The two reconcile and marry, but Moshe is not able to consummate the marriage. They remain married happily until Moshe's death. Arienne develops dementia, and eventually also passes.

A beautiful story of lifelong friendship and love. ( )

A bit of a challenging read, both in its writing style and the way the story is structured, but a rewarding one. The writing is lyrical, metaphorical, and everything I love about reading. May write a longer review later after I organize my thoughts better.

Very grateful to have received a copy at all of the book, but if I had to criticize one thing, gotta say I'm not a fan of the US paperback edition's cover, in comparison to all the others out there. ( )

This work of historical fiction, with magical realism spun in, spans 50 years in Jamaica and England, with a tale of two soulmates at its core. Written partially in patois, you quickly get a feel for the cadence and dialogue of Jamaica which adds depth to the story. ( )