Reviews of What Start Bad a Mornin’

“What start bad a mornin’, cyan end good a evenin’.” — Jamaican proverb.

Booklist Review: “…an engaging and life-affirming read.”

Available now in hard cover, paperback, audio, and kindle: 19 September 2023

Check out more reviews below, and if you are a reviewer, contact me to discuss getting an advanced copy.

Advance Comments and Reviews:

• • “This novel about buried and repressed memories, particularly of trauma, opens with Amaya Li, a successful Caribbean immigrant woman settled in Northern Virginia, working with her husband in a law firm. When a woman claiming to be Amaya’s sister approaches her in a parking lot, Amaya begins to question what she thought she knew about her family and her past, throwing her (and us, the readers) back in time to Amaya’s journey from Jamaica to Trinidad and, later, to Washington, DC. Mitchell creates powerful supporting characters in Amaya’s family members and friends, and captures the emotional realities of those, like Amaya, who leave the familiar and seek to make new homes for themselves. The spirited life that Amaya has built is well captured by the humanity and empathy of the members of her circle, and makes her reluctance to explore her past a relatable internal conflict. Mitchell’s ability to sustain tension while telling a nuanced story that balances family tragedy with a vision of acceptance and support makes this an engaging and life-affirming read.” – Booklist (American Library Association) Review.

  • “This kaleidoscopic take on immigration woes provides an inclusive, thoughtful view of what it means to be a migrant… With both style and panache, Mitchell slowly unfolds the secrets of Amaya’s past intimating us, as readers, into her experiences. The shifts in geographical locations in the pursuit of this unveiling create interesting contrasts which enrich the novel as a whole.” – Zainab Omani, Tupelo Quarterly. Read the entire review here.

  • [What Start Bad a Mornin’ is] … a story that has well-constructed characters, several unexpected twists, and keeps reader’s attention. Midwest Book Review.

  • “With luminous prose, Carol Mitchell tells the story of every Caribbean immigrant, indeed any immigrant, who has had to remake a life they have known in their homeland for the uncertainties in the US where race is often the determinant for success. What Start Bad a Mornin’ leaves the reader with empathy for the passions that drive the ambitions of the vividly-drawn characters, and, at the same time, it is a cautionary tale about the consequences of repressing childhood trauma. A compelling debut novel.” – Elizabeth Nunez, Prospero’s Daughter, author of Now Lila Knows

  • ”With What Start Bad a Mornin’, Carol Mitchell casts light on immigration’s most unsettling predicament:the tension between the life you leave and the one you create. In vibrant prose, she demonstrates how an unacknowledged past will never die, as well as the power – and cost – that comes in surviving it.” – Courtney Angela Brkic, author and memoirist.

  • “What Start a Bad Mornin’ is a breathtaking novel. Amaya Lin, loving mother, wife and caretaker of many, has built a life that is on the verge of collapse when a hidden past sweeps in. I was riveted by the revelations that followed, stunned by the conclusion. Carol Mitchell is a writer of immense talent and this is a stellar debut.” – Cleyvis Natera, author of Neruda on the Park

  • “A radiant and affecting novel that is at once a gripping story of loss and forgiveness, as well as a complex meditation on memory. Mitchell spins a fascinating migration tale replete with mystery, suspense, and an ending that will leave you stunned.” – Lauren Francis-Sharma, author of Book of Little Axe

  • “In carefully measured spoons, Carol reveals the details of Amaya’s life, keeping our interest piqued, holding our attention until the very surprising ending. Richly characterized, mystery and intrigue, buried memories and glaring revelations, this story of family, displacement, loss, and immigration keeps you eager to get to the next page.” Opal Palmer Adisa, author of The Storyteller’s Return

  • “Carol Mitchell’s novel, What Start Bad a Mornin’, is sublime and intensely compassionate. This debut is uncompromisingly Caribbean; yet, it sings of the America into whose arms immigrants collapse with the intention of rising above the selves they once were. Mitchell’s complex characters are enmeshed in an intricate web of classism, racism, colorism, and nationalism—sometimes under the same roof. The intangible and unnamable elements of one’s abandoned home follow these hopeful immigrants wherever the future finds them. This is a story of grief as characters sow seeds and must forsake the harvest. This is also a story of triumph. Each sentence is carefully crafted, polished, and captivating. What Start Bad a Mornin’ is glorious and downright unforgettable. Mitchell’s craftsmanship is astounding. This is a book you’ll want to read more than once.” – Katia Ulysse, author of Mouths Don’t Speak

  • “What Start Bad a Mornin’ is an expertly-crafted story weaving past and present into an intricate fabric with a surprising ending. Carol Mitchell takes you on a wild journey through the mind of Amaya, as she peels back layer after layer, revealing suspenseful glimpses into a past she would much rather forget.” – Jewel Amethyst, author

  • “One sentence spoken by a stranger becomes the thread that unlocks decades-old memories for Amaya, who has been living as if her past never existed. Carol Mitchell’s debut adult novel is brilliant storytelling that deftly weaves a tale of cross-cultural Caribbean life, trauma, and survival. I couldn’t put it down.” – Nerissa Golden, author of Ordained for This and In Plain Sight

  • “What Start Bad a Mornin’ grapples with themes ranging from quiet domestic desperation to the perils of the immigrant experience, from latent racism to the literal violence of politics. The character dynamics are complex and interesting; the entanglements sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes heartwarming, sometimes frustrating, sometimes cosy, all the beats of genuine human interaction. A compelling, meditative, and well-paced journey.” – Joanne C. Hillhouse, author

  • “While I do have a connection to the Caribbean, I felt like I connected with the characters (in What Start Bad a Mornin’) beyond their birthplaces. They were friends, advocates, mothers, aunties, professionals, over 40, and made their home in the DMV (DC/Maryland/Virginia area). Because the story transcends national origin, I can recommend this book to my Caribbean friends and my American friends alike.” – Eva Greene Wilson. Read the full review on her website.

  • “What Start Bad A Mornin’ is a tense, gripping tale of a woman’s unwilling spiral into her own locked past. As her protective layers of amnesia are inexorably stripped away, the pillars of her life tilt, crack and crumble, forcing her to question everything she believes about herself as she scavenges for the truth: What is real? What is mirage? Amaya’s journey of self-discovery takes her thousands of miles, real and newly recollected, from her ordered existence in Virginia, USA to the Caribbean island of Trinidad where she lived as a student and met the man who would become her husband, and finally to Jamaica, her birthplace, where the threads of a turbulent political and personal history intersect and converge in a tapestry as violent as it is revelatory.” – Charmaine Rousseau, author

  • “With a skillful blend of storytelling and poignant character development, Mitchell weaves a story that spans across continents, immersing readers in a rich tapestry of cultural diversity and personal resilience.” – Eugenia O’Neal, author

  • “The novel, What Start Bad a Mornin’, captures the essence of Carol Mitchell’s superb storytelling, as it imprisons your attention to digest a woman’s hard truths to the surprising end.” – Yolanda T. Marshall, author

  • “What Start a Bad Mornin’ had me in its suspenseful clutches: “What is she going to do NOW?” “No, don’t tell him!” From the first pages, the author gives the reader a clear vision of where she is while holding back some reasons and whys at the same time because Amaya also cannot get in touch with the truth of her past. The answers are tantalizing to her; she feels something is there, but her answers tease her with half-truths.” – The Compulsive Reader by reviewer: Leslie Friedman

  • “This novel, What Start Bad a Mornin’ illustrates the far-reaching power and damage of forgetting.” – Foreword Reviews

  • Various editors:

  “A moving, powerful novel”
  “I couldn’t put it down”
  “rich personalities and histories”
  “deftly intertwined threads.”
  “Brilliant storytelling”

  Please check back often as this list will be updated as more reviews come in.

  About the Book

Amaya Lin has few memories of the years before she turned eighteen. Now in her forties, she has compensated by carefully cultivating a satisfying life as a wife, mother, and business professional. Her husband’s law practice is on the brink of major success; her neurodiverse son has grown into an independent adult; and she has come to terms with her aunt’s dementia. This sense of order is disrupted when she encounters a stranger who claims to have an impossible connection, launching Amaya on a tumultuous journey into the past.

Using three interwoven narratives spanning the US, Trinidad, and Jamaica, Carol Mitchell’s debut gives voice to an immigrant woman forced to confront her repressed memories of violent trauma.