Description

Book Synopsis
Teased for her light skin and red hair during her childhood on St. Chris, Grace is puzzled about why she looks different from her family. As she comes into adulthood, Grace confronts the mystery of her own identity and the story of her birth mother in this sprawling, large-hearted novel.

Trade Review
If there is a smelting room of the English language, if there is an iron table where syntax and breath are shone, here is where Pam Mordecai works her glittering materials. * Dionne Brand, Griffin Poetry Award–winning author of Ossuaries *
This exceptional story of one woman's education, career, and motherhood ... Grace's story of a rise from humble beginnings may feel familiar, but Mordecai never allows it to become cliched. * Publishers Weekly *
For those attuned to a Caribbean literary tradition and to women’s writing in particular, the echoes of Paule Marshall’s Daughters, Merle Hodge’s Crick Crack and even Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea will most certainly be heard in Mordecai’s book. * Herizons *
A compelling tale of faith and family, ranging from the dusty landscapes of West Africa to the rich flavours of the Caribbean. Pamela Mordecai has made the transition from poetry to prose with an enviable ease. * Will Ferguson, Giller Prize–winning author of 419 *
Red Jacket is successful in that it holds the reader's attention from start to finish and invites us to reflect on many issues that assail us. It is a significant fictional accomplishment. * Maple Tree Literary Supplement *
A rich and compelling tale about the agony of being made to feel different and the elusiveness of belonging. * Rachel Manley, Governor General's Award–winning author of the Drumblair trilogy *
For those attuned to a Caribbean literary tradition and women’s writing in particular, the echoes of Paule Marshall’s Daughters, Merle Hodge’s Crick Crack, Monkey, and even Jean Rhys’s Wild Sargasso Sea will most certainly be heard in Mordecai’s latest work. * Ottawareviewofbooks.com *
Canadian poet Pamela Mordecai’s first novel moves from the warmth of the Caribbean to the chill of Canada and then to the deserts of West Africa. Fans of Caribbean literature and readers who enjoy sagas of misfortune may find this book captivating. * Library Journal *
Pamela Mordecai is a fearsomely ingenious writer, whose ear for language is equalled by her huge heart’s humanity. * George Elliott Clarke, Governor General's Award–winning author of Execution Poems *
…Red Jacket is an accomplished, intelligent novel…to be savoured for its multiple layers of meaning and—especially—its richness of language. * Quill & Quire *
Alternately heart-wrenching, clever and very real, this novel tackles issues that are relevant on both a personal and global level. * The Guelph Mercury *

Table of Contents
  • PRELUDE
  • GRACE
  • Chapter 1: A Girl Child in Wentley Plantation
  • Chapter 2: The Boys to the Rescue
  • Chapter 3: The Burning Tree and the Balloon Man
  • Chapter 4: Grace and Pansy
  • Chapter 5: Professor Carpenter
  • Chapter 6: Queenstown
  • Chapter 7: Grace Gets Ready
  • MARK
  • Chapter 8: The Chancellor
  • JIMMY
  • Chapter 9: Father John Kelly, S.J.
  • Chapter 10:Baggage
  • Chapter 11: Father John Goes for a Walk
  • MARK
  • Chapter 12: Femina Ludens or the Chancellor's Wife
  • GRACE
  • Chapter 13: Grace Settles In
  • Chapter 14: A Binding Headache
  • Chapter 15: Grace Finds a Church
  • Chapter 16: Grace Joins a Battle
  • MARK
  • Chapter 17: The Chancellor Considers
  • JIMMY
  • Chapter 18: Ordination
  • Chapter 19: Mapome's Game
  • MARK
  • Chapter 20: Doublespeak
  • GRACE
  • Chapter 21: Back to St. Chris
  • Chapter 22: A Parcel
  • Chapter 23: First and Last
  • MARK
  • Chapter 24: No Rest for the Wicked
  • GRACE
  • Chapter 25: Gramps Travels
  • Chapter 26: Grace Meets Phyllis
  • Chapter 27: Letters and More Letters
  • Chapter 28: A Graduation Fuss
  • Chapter 29: A Letter of Apology
  • Chapter 30: Death and Disappearance
  • Chapter 31: Charlie
  • MARK
  • Chapter 32: Coming to Order
  • GRAMPS
  • Chapter 33: Ralston
  • Chapter 34: Open Secrets
  • Chapter 35: Two Letters from New York City
  • MARK
  • Chapter 36: Mirando y Dejando
  • GRACE AND JIMMY
  • Chapter 37: Grace Arrives in Mabuli
  • Chapter 38: Troubling Trouble
  • Chapter 39: La Sage-femme or The Midwife
  • Chapter 40: More Wordplay
  • Chapter 41: Offspring
  • Chapter 42: One Night with You
  • Chapter 43: An Occasion of Sin?
  • MARK
  • Chapter 44: Waiting
  • GRACE AND JIMMY
  • Chapter 45: Landings
  • Chapter 46: The Lady in the Park
  • Chapter 47: Another Visit and a Summons
  • Chapter 48: Secrets
  • Chapter 49: Graduation
  • Chapter 50: A Hypothetical
  • MARK
  • Chapter 51: To Come or Not to Come
  • GRACE AND JIMMY
  • Chapter 52: A Pain in the ...
  • Chapter 53: Two Widowers in Barcelona
  • Chapter 54: An Unexpected Trip
  • MARK, JIMMY, GRACE
  • Chapter 55: Showtime
  • Chapter 56: Groaning Towards the Spirit
  • Chapter 57: Your Cheating Heart
  • Chapter 58: Throwing Words
  • Chapter 59: A Dream
  • Acknowledgements
  • Glossary

Red Jacket

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    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Mon 29 Jun 2026.

    A Paperback by Pamela Mordecai

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      View other formats and editions of Red Jacket by Pamela Mordecai

      Publisher: Dundurn Group Ltd
      Publication Date: 1/21/2015 12:05:00 AM
      ISBN13: 9781459729407, 978-1459729407
      ISBN10: 1459729404

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      Teased for her light skin and red hair during her childhood on St. Chris, Grace is puzzled about why she looks different from her family. As she comes into adulthood, Grace confronts the mystery of her own identity and the story of her birth mother in this sprawling, large-hearted novel.

      Trade Review
      If there is a smelting room of the English language, if there is an iron table where syntax and breath are shone, here is where Pam Mordecai works her glittering materials. * Dionne Brand, Griffin Poetry Award–winning author of Ossuaries *
      This exceptional story of one woman's education, career, and motherhood ... Grace's story of a rise from humble beginnings may feel familiar, but Mordecai never allows it to become cliched. * Publishers Weekly *
      For those attuned to a Caribbean literary tradition and to women’s writing in particular, the echoes of Paule Marshall’s Daughters, Merle Hodge’s Crick Crack and even Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea will most certainly be heard in Mordecai’s book. * Herizons *
      A compelling tale of faith and family, ranging from the dusty landscapes of West Africa to the rich flavours of the Caribbean. Pamela Mordecai has made the transition from poetry to prose with an enviable ease. * Will Ferguson, Giller Prize–winning author of 419 *
      Red Jacket is successful in that it holds the reader's attention from start to finish and invites us to reflect on many issues that assail us. It is a significant fictional accomplishment. * Maple Tree Literary Supplement *
      A rich and compelling tale about the agony of being made to feel different and the elusiveness of belonging. * Rachel Manley, Governor General's Award–winning author of the Drumblair trilogy *
      For those attuned to a Caribbean literary tradition and women’s writing in particular, the echoes of Paule Marshall’s Daughters, Merle Hodge’s Crick Crack, Monkey, and even Jean Rhys’s Wild Sargasso Sea will most certainly be heard in Mordecai’s latest work. * Ottawareviewofbooks.com *
      Canadian poet Pamela Mordecai’s first novel moves from the warmth of the Caribbean to the chill of Canada and then to the deserts of West Africa. Fans of Caribbean literature and readers who enjoy sagas of misfortune may find this book captivating. * Library Journal *
      Pamela Mordecai is a fearsomely ingenious writer, whose ear for language is equalled by her huge heart’s humanity. * George Elliott Clarke, Governor General's Award–winning author of Execution Poems *
      …Red Jacket is an accomplished, intelligent novel…to be savoured for its multiple layers of meaning and—especially—its richness of language. * Quill & Quire *
      Alternately heart-wrenching, clever and very real, this novel tackles issues that are relevant on both a personal and global level. * The Guelph Mercury *

      Table of Contents
      • PRELUDE
      • GRACE
      • Chapter 1: A Girl Child in Wentley Plantation
      • Chapter 2: The Boys to the Rescue
      • Chapter 3: The Burning Tree and the Balloon Man
      • Chapter 4: Grace and Pansy
      • Chapter 5: Professor Carpenter
      • Chapter 6: Queenstown
      • Chapter 7: Grace Gets Ready
      • MARK
      • Chapter 8: The Chancellor
      • JIMMY
      • Chapter 9: Father John Kelly, S.J.
      • Chapter 10:Baggage
      • Chapter 11: Father John Goes for a Walk
      • MARK
      • Chapter 12: Femina Ludens or the Chancellor's Wife
      • GRACE
      • Chapter 13: Grace Settles In
      • Chapter 14: A Binding Headache
      • Chapter 15: Grace Finds a Church
      • Chapter 16: Grace Joins a Battle
      • MARK
      • Chapter 17: The Chancellor Considers
      • JIMMY
      • Chapter 18: Ordination
      • Chapter 19: Mapome's Game
      • MARK
      • Chapter 20: Doublespeak
      • GRACE
      • Chapter 21: Back to St. Chris
      • Chapter 22: A Parcel
      • Chapter 23: First and Last
      • MARK
      • Chapter 24: No Rest for the Wicked
      • GRACE
      • Chapter 25: Gramps Travels
      • Chapter 26: Grace Meets Phyllis
      • Chapter 27: Letters and More Letters
      • Chapter 28: A Graduation Fuss
      • Chapter 29: A Letter of Apology
      • Chapter 30: Death and Disappearance
      • Chapter 31: Charlie
      • MARK
      • Chapter 32: Coming to Order
      • GRAMPS
      • Chapter 33: Ralston
      • Chapter 34: Open Secrets
      • Chapter 35: Two Letters from New York City
      • MARK
      • Chapter 36: Mirando y Dejando
      • GRACE AND JIMMY
      • Chapter 37: Grace Arrives in Mabuli
      • Chapter 38: Troubling Trouble
      • Chapter 39: La Sage-femme or The Midwife
      • Chapter 40: More Wordplay
      • Chapter 41: Offspring
      • Chapter 42: One Night with You
      • Chapter 43: An Occasion of Sin?
      • MARK
      • Chapter 44: Waiting
      • GRACE AND JIMMY
      • Chapter 45: Landings
      • Chapter 46: The Lady in the Park
      • Chapter 47: Another Visit and a Summons
      • Chapter 48: Secrets
      • Chapter 49: Graduation
      • Chapter 50: A Hypothetical
      • MARK
      • Chapter 51: To Come or Not to Come
      • GRACE AND JIMMY
      • Chapter 52: A Pain in the ...
      • Chapter 53: Two Widowers in Barcelona
      • Chapter 54: An Unexpected Trip
      • MARK, JIMMY, GRACE
      • Chapter 55: Showtime
      • Chapter 56: Groaning Towards the Spirit
      • Chapter 57: Your Cheating Heart
      • Chapter 58: Throwing Words
      • Chapter 59: A Dream
      • Acknowledgements
      • Glossary

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