If I Survive You Explained

If I Survive You
Author:Jonathan Escoffery
Language:English
Country:United States
Genre:Literary fiction,[1] historical fiction[2]
Publisher:MCD Books
Release Date:September 6, 2022
Pages:272
Isbn:978-0-374-60598-8
Oclc:1289250366

If I Survive You is the debut book by Jonathan Escoffery, published on September 6, 2022 by MCD Books. It is a collection of eight interlinked short stories that follow the struggles of an immigrant family from Jamaica who build a new home in Miami. The story's main character is Trelawny, an American-born son of immigrants who grapples with identity, familial and cultural issues through various phases of adolescence and adulthood.

The book was released to wide acclaim, with reviewers praising Escoffery's narrative style, technical skill, and use of humor. It was shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize, and was a finalist or longlisted for several other awards.

Plot

The story follows a Jamaican immigrant family that moves to Miami in the 1970s. It is told through eight connected short stories.

The main character is Trelawny, the young son of Topper and Sanya; they moved to Miami in the 1970s in search of stability after political violence erupted in their hometown of Kingston, Jamaica. The parents struggle to build a home and find meaning in their new circumstances, faced with long-standing systemic inequities in America, and a feeling of living outside the mainstream. They deal with the havoc of Hurricane Andrew, economic uncertainty and a disconnect from their two sons, Trelawny and Delano, both who face their own struggles with identity. Much of the book is delivered from Trelawny's perspective, with stories following his coming of age, his turbulent relationship with his father, as well as his struggle to belong in any one place and with any one community.

Growing up, Trelawny does not feel accepted by his family or with peers, caught between the cultural pressures imposed by his family and the draw of fitting in with American ideals. His identity and allegiances are regularly questioned because, as the book depicts, these are typically determined around racial lines in America. Trelawny feels pressure to live up to his Jamaican roots at times while being drawn by America's promises of opportunity and individualism. Trelawny perceives his brother Delano, as preferred by his father. This is especially true following a rift between his parents that leads to their separation, and him living with his mother, while his father agrees to custody of Delano.

Nonetheless, Trelawny survives the pains of adolescence and decides to pursue college in the Midwest. Here, he faces an alternate view of his race. He is decidedly perceived as Black in the predominantly white Midwestern college he chooses. Any ambiguity around his race which he faced in Miami, a city of many backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures is gone. At first, he takes comfort in this different space, but begins to miss Miami and moves back with hopes of building a life. Jobless, he seeks help from his father. But after a violent fight between them, he finds himself homeless. He begins to take on odd gigs, answering off-beat Craigslist ads, and eventually landing himself a job at a building management office of a Miami Beach apartment complex. His main responsibility becomes badgering financially distressed tenants to pay rent.

Meanwhile, his brother Delano's luck deteriorates. The contracting business he runs goes under and his wife takes his two sons and leaves for another state. Trelawny eventually moves in with his brother to their childhood home, which Delano rents from their father. Their relationship remains competitive and tense, leading to a battle to buy their father's house. Underlying every struggle in the book is a will to survive, and, ultimately, hope.

Release

If I Survive You was published by MCD Books in both hardback and paperback, with both being 272 pages long.[3] [4] Variously described as being a novel, short-story collection, or even autobiographical,[5] it was released to the public on September 6, 2022.[6] Macmillan Audio simultaneously released an audiobook edition produced by Farrar, Straus and Giroux and narrated by Torian Brackett.[7] Its quality was commended by AudioFile Magazine, which gave it their Earphones Award.[8]

Reception

Reviews

If I Survive You was released to wide acclaim. The review aggregator Book Marks gave it their highest "rave" rating based on 18 reviews, all of which they assessed as being positive or better.[9] The book's reviewers particularly praised the author's narrative style, technical skill, and use of humor.[10]

In a universally positive review, Katy Waldman at The New Yorker said that Escoffery's "fiction is marked by ingenuity [...] The book feels thrillingly free". Waldman called out Escoffery's adept sense of humor, often expressed in what she called the "comedy of infighting", and applauded his portrayal of "the disorienting effects of race as they fall".[11] NPR's Maureen Corrigan felt that the ending of one of the short stories, "Splashdown", and its sink or swim spirit favorably compared to the classic novel Moby-Dick. She also highlighted Escoffery's writing about the effects of race in the United States, whether due to explicit racism, the effects of the Great Recession, or in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew.[12]

Michael Ferry at BookTrib lauded Escoffery's technical skill, noting that his perspective shifts between first, second, and third person, along with his tense shifts between past, present, and future, could have been distracting if done by a "less-skilled writer". Instead, Ferry continued, "Escoffery uses each transition with purpose. The reader is given a multitude of angles and distances from which to view each character and their environment. A strong connection is created with the subject, conflict and emotion become more intense, and the setting gains additional layers of texture."[13] The Guardians reviewer Ian Williams agreed, and praised the unusual use of second person to cement the "estrangement Trelawny feels from himself" and for the sense of empathy it fostered between the reader and main character. Williams additionally highlighted Escoffery's "interracial sensitivity", writing that his "courage to move beyond the politeness that silences meaningful conversations on race" brought on moments where Williams "wanted to snap my fingers, like at a poetry slam."[5]

In a measured article for The New York Times Book Review, Andrew Martin also applauded Escoffery's "disarming" and "irreverent" humor, along with his ability to make him empathize with the main characters. However, Martin critiqued Escoffery's pacing, saying that he "wished at times that I was caught more forcefully in a current of narrative momentum with them", and added that parts of the book felt "less than convincing".[14]

In a starred review, Kirkus succinctly called If I Survive You "a fine debut that looks at the complexities of cultural identity with humor, savvy, and a rich sense of place."[6] The Financial Times Suzi Feay wrote that If I Survive You was "jaunty, irrepressible and full of energy even in moments of horror. A fine achievement."[15]

Awards and honors

Time and The New York Times Book Review included If I Survive You in their 100 top books of 2022.[16] [17] Booklist listed it as a 2022 "Booklist Editors' Choice" for adult books,[18] as well as their 2023 list of the best historical fiction books by debut authors.[2]

If I Survive You was one of six shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize,[19] [20] having made the cut from a thirteen-strong longlist.[21] Escoffery made the short list alongside another author's debut novel, Chetna Maroo's Western Lane.[22]

The Booker Prize judges called If I Survive You "an astonishingly assured debut novel, lauded by the panel for its clarity, variety and fizzing prose. As the stories move back and forth through geography and time, we are confronted by the immigrants' eternal questions: who am I now and where do I belong?"[23]

Award!Result!Ref.
2022National Book AwardFiction[24] [25]
National Book Critics Circle AwardJohn Leonard Prize[26] [27]
2023Aspen Words Literary Prize[28] [29]
Booker Prize[30] [31]
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction[32] [33]
Southern Book Prize[34]
Gordon Burn Prize[35]
2024International Dublin Literary Award[36]

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: If I Survive You [Book] ]. May 20, 2023 . Macmillan Publishers . May 20, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230520155928/https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374605988/ifisurviveyou . live .
  2. Web site: Seaman . Donna . 2023-05-15 . Top 10 Historical Fiction Debuts: 2023 . 2023-10-20 . . October 21, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231021034250/https://www.booklistonline.com/ProductInfo.aspx?pid=9779769 . live .
  3. News: If I Survive You . Publisher's Weekly . May 17, 2022 . May 20, 2023 . May 20, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230520155551/https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780374605988 . live .
  4. Web site: Books: If I Survive You . MCD Books . May 20, 2023 . May 19, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230519173109/https://www.mcdbooks.com/books/if-i-survive-you . live .
  5. News: Williams . Ian . 2023-02-02 . If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery review – dazzling debut of racial identity . en-GB . The Guardian . 2023-09-29 . September 21, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230921204548/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/feb/02/if-i-survive-you-by-jonathan-escoffery-review-dazzling-debut-of-racial-identity . live .
  6. Web site: If I Survive You . Kirkus Reviews . July 1, 2022 . May 20, 2023 . May 20, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230520223215/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jonathan-escoffery/if-i-survive-you/ . live .
  7. Web site: If I Survive You [Audiobook] ]. May 20, 2023 . Macmillan Publishers . May 20, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230520161418/https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250868824/ifisurviveyou . live .
  8. If I Survive You . AudioFile Magazine . May 20, 2023 . May 20, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230520161452/https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/221442/if-i-survive-you-by-jonathan-escoffery-read-by-torian-brackett/ . live .
  9. Web site: If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery . May 20, 2023 . Book Marks . en-US . March 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230330235835/https://bookmarks.reviews/reviews/if-i-survive-you/ . live .
  10. Web site: All Book Marks reviews for If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery . 2023-09-29 . Book Marks . en-US . May 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230502143005/https://bookmarks.reviews/bookmark-all/ . live .
  11. Waldman . Katy . 2022-08-29 . Jonathan Escoffery's Surprising Stories of Desperation . en-US . The New Yorker . 2023-09-27 . May 20, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230520223216/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/09/05/jonathan-escofferys-surprising-stories-of-desperation-if-i-survive . live .
  12. News: Corrigan . Maureen . September 9, 2022 . 'If I Survive You' is a sweeping portrait of a family's fight to make it in America . NPR . May 20, 2023 . May 19, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230519133534/https://www.npr.org/2022/09/09/1120509012/if-i-survive-you-jonathan-escoffery-review-short-story-collection . live .
  13. Web site: Ferry . Michael . Familial and Systemic Struggle in Story of Ultimate Survival . September 30, 2022 . BookTrib. . 2023-09-29 . en-US . October 4, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231004095230/https://booktrib.com/2022/09/30/if-i-survive-you-jonathan-escoffery/ . live .
  14. News: Martin . Andrew . 2022-09-04 . From Jamaican to Miamian, and All the Identities in Between . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-09-27 . May 19, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230519173102/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/04/books/review/jonathan-escoffery-if-i-survive-you.html . live .
  15. News: Feay . Suzi . 2023-08-14 . If I Survive You — race and precarity in contemporary America . Financial Times . 2023-09-29 . October 4, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231004095812/https://www.ft.com/content/b9b8fa74-792c-49c2-9004-54afe3bb3053 . live .
  16. 2022-11-14 . 'If I Survive You' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2022 . 2023-09-29 . Time . en . March 26, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230326132102/https://time.com/collection/must-read-books-2022/6228549/if-i-survive-you/ . live .
  17. News: 2022-11-22 . 100 Notable Books of 2022 . The New York Times . 2023-10-26 . June 27, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230627035731/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/11/22/books/notable-books.html . live .
  18. Web site: 2022-12-01 . Booklist Editors' Choice: Adult Books, 2022 . 2023-10-20 . . August 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230830102141/https://www.booklistonline.com/ProductInfo.aspx?pid=9772316 . live .
  19. News: Sophia . Nguyen . 2023-09-21 . Here are the 6 finalists for the 2023 Booker Prize . 2023-10-26 . Washington Post . en . October 26, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231026213614/https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/09/21/booker-prize-shortlist-2023/ . live .
  20. Web site: Anderson . Porter . September 21, 2023 . In England: The Booker Prize for Fiction Names Its 2023 Shortlist . September 22, 2023 . Publishing Perspectives . en-US . September 27, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230927084127/https://publishingperspectives.com/2023/09/in-england-the-booker-prize-names-its-2023-shortlist/ . live .
  21. News: Sophia . Nguyen . 2023-08-01 . 2023 Booker longlist includes ‘If I Survive You’ and ‘This Other Eden’ . 2023-10-26 . Washington Post . en . October 26, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231026213616/https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/08/01/booker-prize-longlist-2023/ . live .
  22. News: Marshall . Alex . 2023-09-21 . Booker Prize Shortlist Reflects the 'Unease of Our Moment' . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-09-29 . October 3, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231003214109/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/21/books/booker-prize-shortlist.html . live .
  23. Web site: 2023-02-02 . If I Survive You . 2023-09-29 . The Booker Prizes . en . October 4, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231004095329/https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/if-i-survive-you . live .
  24. September 16, 2022 . The 2022 National Book Awards Longlist: Fiction . . September 27, 2023 . September 27, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230927090126/https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-2022-national-book-awards-longlist-fiction . live .
  25. Web site: Stewart . Sophia . 2022-09-16 . 2022 National Book Award Longlists Announced . 2023-10-21 . . en . 2023-03-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230314204956/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/awards-and-prizes/article/90332-2022-national-book-award-longlists-announced.html . live .
  26. News: Valdez . Jonah . 2023-02-01 . Here are the finalists for the 2022 National Book Critics Circle Awards . en-US . . 2023-09-29 . 2023-10-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231006181751/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2023-01-31/finalists-the-2022-national-book-critics-circle-awards . live .
  27. Web site: Stewart . Sophia . 2023-01-31 . 2023 National Book Critics Circle Awards Finalists Announced . 2023-10-21 . . en . 2023-10-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231005142700/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/awards-and-prizes/article/91421-2023-national-book-critics-circle-awards-finalists-announced.html . live .
  28. Web site: Schaub . Michael . December 12, 2022 . Aspen Words Literary Prize Longlist Is Revealed . March 7, 2023 . . en . March 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230307022215/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/aspen-words-literary-prize-longlist-is-revealed/ . live .
  29. Web site: Anderson . Porter . 2022-12-12 . The $35,000 Aspen Words Literary Prize Names Its 2023 Longlist . 2023-09-29 . Publishing Perspectives . en-US . 2023-10-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231004095312/https://publishingperspectives.com/2022/12/the-35000-aspen-words-literary-prize-names-its-2023-longlist/ . live .
  30. Web site: Nawotka . Ed . 2023-09-21 . 2023 Booker Prize Shortlist Announced . 2023-10-21 . . en . 2023-09-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230930180644/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/awards-and-prizes/article/93232-2023-booker-prize-shortlist-announced.html . live .
  31. Web site: Wolberg . Sarah . 2023-09-22 . Booker Prize Shortlist Is Announced . 2023-10-21 . . 2023-10-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231021034332/https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/booker-prize-shortlist-is-announced-book-pulse . live .
  32. Web site: 2023-03-08 . Awards: PEN/Faulkner Fiction, Aspen Words Finalists . 2023-10-21 . . 2023-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230320010039/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=4431 . live .
  33. Web site: Toll . Martha Anne . 2023-03-08 . Meet the Five PEN/Faulkner Finalists of 2023 . 2023-10-21 . . en-US . 2023-05-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230522213317/https://lithub.com/meet-the-five-pen-faulkner-finalists-of-2023/ . live .
  34. Web site: 2022-11-04 . Awards: Writers' Trust of Canada Winners; SIBA Southern Book Finalists . 2023-10-21 . . 2022-11-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221130073011/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=4353 . live .
  35. Gordon Burn prize announces ‘blazing’ shortlist . . Creamer . Ella . 2024-01-25.
  36. Web site: 2024-03-27 . Wright shortlisted for 2024 Dublin Literary Award . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240328191947/https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2024/03/27/249559/wright-shortlisted-for-2024-dublin-literary-award/ . March 28, 2024 . 2024-03-28 . Books+Publishing.

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