Skip to main content
Header image

Christina Cooke wrote the 90s story only she could tell

By Kobo • January 29, 2025Kobo in Conversation Podcast

You know Jamaica always has had, and will have forever, a thriving queer community. But that community is much more visible in a way that it wasn't in the 90s.

Host Nathan Maharaj spoke with Christina Cooke, author of the novel Broughtupsy. It’s a book about a young woman who returns to Jamaica to reconnect with her sister and to spread the ashes of their little brother amidst the places that make up the history of their family.

Broughtupsy by Christina Cooke

Akúa is returning home to Jamaica for the first time in ten years. Her younger brother has died suddenly, and Akúa hopes to reconnect with her estranged older sister, Tamika. Over three fateful weeks, the sisters visit significant places from their childhood where Akúa spreads her brother’s ashes. Then Akúa meets Jayda, a brash stripper who reveals a different side of Kingston. As the two women grow closer, Akúa is forced to confront the difficult reality of being gay in a deeply religious family, and what it means to be a gay woman in Jamaica.

View eBook

Subscribe to Kobo in Conversation wherever you listen.

If you would like to be the first to know about bookish blogs, please subscribe. We promise to provided only relevant articles.