But you see, the creation of great beauty involves unpleasantness. Always. that is why I seldom wear gloves.

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Wordies, this year I challenged myself to read more of what is already on my shelf, and Dat’s Love was one of those well-overdue reads.

Written by Black-Welsh writer, Leonora Brito, this short story collection is a testament to her sharp, ahead-of-its-time storytelling. It was originally published in the 90’s and has since been published in the Library of Wales (2017) and dramatized by the National Theatre of Wales (2022). She sadly passed away in 2007, which is a shame as I think she be so much more well-known if she were with us today.

‘She’s my half-sister,’ he said.
I remember the words were hardly out of Joe’s mouth before Loretta had reached him. ‘Half?’ she said. ‘Half?’ She started bouncing the big blue ball upside his head. ‘Who taught you half? I didn’t give birth to no halves!’

Her narratives intricately portray the lives of Black historical figures and post-war Welsh communities with equal persuasiveness and ease. There is great variety in this collection and range of topics she covers is truly astonishing. I was impressed at how many different styles and tones Brito managed in this collection, and her deft use of voice helped to bring every story to life, no matter what the setting and status of the character.

Brito’s stories are predominantly woman-centred and explore themes around womanhood, generational trauma, and shame. She masterfully paints a layered and rich portrait of being ‘the other,’ especially as a woman who might also be mixed-race, Black, older, or facing health issues.

Importantly for me is the fact that it also highlights the fact that Black people were in the UK before Windrush. The fictionalisation of stories from the lives of Ignatius Sancho in ‘Blessed Times for a Blacky Grocer’ and Dido Elizabeth Bell in ‘Dido Elizabeth Bell’ demonstrate this. Dido was a mixed-race woman who was born to an enslaved teenager and a navel officer. Though she was never publicly acknowledged by her father, she was brought to England with her mother in 1765 and lived in the home of her great uncle for 30 years. Ignatius was a Black composer, writer, and slave abolitionist who was brought to England in 1731, at the age of two.

Brito’s work also highlights community strength and a humour that reflects great spirit. It looked at what ‘multiculturalism’ looked like in what I am going to refer to as its infancy. It looked at community, neighbourhood, and domestic spaces. This book did inspire me to read up on several historical events too!

To me it is clear why it was selected to be part of Penguin’s ‘Writing Back’ series, which celebrates ‘pioneering books from Black Britain and the diaspora’. In my opinion, this collection is an essential Black British classic and a brilliant read.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 out of 5 stars)

Check out the full Black Britain: Writing Back Series on bookshop.org.

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Annotations

I annotated this book so I thought I would include my annotation key. There are so many approaches you could use, which I must write about another time, but I tend to pick about four topics that encompass the main themes. I could have chosen so many more but I like to keep things simple and manageable. Sometimes the book requires more though!

In this book I went for: History, community, ‘multiculturalism’ (sarcastic), and women’s experiences. I tab things that I might want to come back to, might want to quote later, or includes something that I might want to look up in detail. I like to use themes but sometimes I go for reaction-based tabs. It depends on the book!

If you are interested in book tabbing or want to get some inspiration, I have an entire board dedicated to book annotations on Pinterest! Check it out here!

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Description

Format: Print (UK Paperback)

Length: 192 pages

Category: Short Stories

Published: Oct 2023 by Penguin

A brilliant collection of short stories from Leonora Brito exploring race, identity, and love

Leonora Brito was a writer of exceptional stories. In Dat’s Love, she soaks up the sights, sounds and colours of Cardiff to boldly explore race and history.

With each electric story, Brito introduces a unique cast of characters, vibrantly elevating their everyday lives. From 59-year-old Dorothy taking up nude modelling to black aristocrat Dido Elizabeth Belle absconding her uncle’s estate, from the assassination of JFK to what’s going down at the Blue Bayou bar, Brito blends the surreal and the mundane to redress history and immerse the reader in a vibrantly painted world.

Containing an unusual exactness and sense of place, Brito’s stories are unique in Welsh fiction in presenting an insider’s perspective on a black Welsh history only alluded to by other writers. Full of wry humour and startling originality, this collection features Brito’s most acclaimed work.

A title in the Black Britain: Writing Back series – selected by Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo, this series rediscovers and celebrates pioneering books depicting black Britain that remap the nation.

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