Locks

I was drawn to read Locks by its wonderfully detailed cover art, before I knew anything about the novel itself, and the irony of this is not lost on me. Locks explores how much a person's self-identity can be determined by other people's views, and how those views are more often the result of shallow preconceptions rather than actual knowledge. Ashleigh Nugent used his own traumatic teenage visit to Jamaica as the basis for this novel and that authenticity shines through every page. There's a wonderful contrast between Nugent's thoughtful, almost poetic prose, and Aeon's frequently crass teenage mindset. The boy who flies to Jamaica at the beginning of this book is a very different person to the young man at its end so Locks can be read as a coming of age story as well as a fictionalised memoir.

I appreciated the social commentary on everyday Jamaican life and the understanding we get of why non-touristy Jamaica was so deprived. Historical similarities mean I could feel Locks reinforcing what I had witnessed in How The One Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones and, although the two books are very different, I felt their stories as equally powerful commentaries on post-colonial neglect.

However, for all its serious themes and frequently grim locations, Locks is a surprisingly engaging and entertaining read. Aeon's behaviour and naivete did raise several chuckles and I loved how Nugent drew me so deeply into his story. In hindsight, I wish I had read this novel slower so it would have lasted me longer.