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'Striking…an unforgettable cast of characters you’d expect to find in the grandest work of fiction.'—Candice Carty-Williams

‘Juggling laughter and tears with every page, this remarkable journey of discovery tells of one young woman’s captivating search for self in a new and challenging environment.’—Margaret Busby

‘Brims with the pleasure of a story well-told, and with the command of a writer who is comfortable moving between the many registers of Jamaican English.’—Kwame Dawes

‘Beautiful, evocative and powerfully engaging. I loved this book.’—Francesca Martinez


It’s 1969 and Erna Mullings has just arrived in London from Jamaica.

Finding herself in a strange country, with a mother she barely recognises and a stepfather she despises, Erna is homesick, lost and lonely. But her life is about to change irrevocably.

A story of reluctant immigration and the relationship between children and the people who parent them, The Day I Fell Off My Island is engrossing, courageous and psychologically insightful. Yvonne Bailey-Smith writes with great warmth and humanity as she explores estrangement, transition and, ultimately, the triumph of resilience and hope.

The Day I Fell Off My Island