Arts & Entertainment

'Caucasia' examines race, blood relations

Miriam Rouziek
The Daily Cougar

"A long time ago I disappeared. One day I was here, the next I was gone ... This is what I remember." 

Denzy Sennais Caucasia is the story of Birdie Lee, who disappears among white women fighting for black justice. This is the story of two sisters, both half-black, growing up in 1960s Boston. Cole takes after her father, dark-skinned and nappy-haired, while Birdie takes after her mother, fair-skinned and light-eyed. This story tells how Birdie disappears into America, nameless and alone, with only the memory of her lost childhood.

Caucasia follows Birdie from her earliest memories of playing with her sister to her first experiences in black America to her flight with her mother from everything they know. Senna moves expertly through Birdieis life, giving it a Song of Solomon feel with every new sentence.

Like Toni Morrisonis Solomon, Caucasia is concerned with the interaction of blacks and whites, as well as fair-skinned blacks and dark-skinned blacks. Senna gives us a different viewpoint, concentrating not only on fair versus dark but also on half versus full in the black communities of America. 

We see, through Birdieis eyes, the strange and complicated relationships that exist even between sisters of the same blood. As Birdie and Cole grow, Cole becomes more distant to Birdie, favoring her black friends over her "white" sister and leaving Birdie to her own devices.

Caucasia is a novel of depth, encouraging the reader to look beyond eye, skin or hair color and to delve deeper into the personality of the person. Through Birdieis eyes, we witness the troubles of the civil rights movement, the burdens of being a "half-breed" and the pain brought on by race riots and misunderstandings. This is an impressively written novel, believable and compelling.

Denzy Senna

Caucasia

Riverhead Books

The verdict: This is a fantastic coming-of-age novel.

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