(1984), Jamaica Kincaid’s first published book, is a slim collection of prose pieces, many of which developed out of contributions to
The New Yorker. Difficult to classify in terms of genre, the texts collected in this volume are closer to prose poems than narrative prose and record states of consciousness rather than develop plots.
At the Bottom of the Rivercontains the seeds of much of Kincaid’s subsequent work, so that a reading of this text greatly adds to an understanding especially of the novels that immediately follow this collection:
Annie John(1985),
Lucy(1990), and
The Autobiography of My Mother(1996).
Even though the texts in At the Bottom of the River appear unconnected and can each be read on its own, on closer inspection the collection does
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Citation: Otto, Melanie. "At the Bottom of the River". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 October 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=32319, accessed 25 November 2024.]
