If I Survive You

Discuss the theme of Immigration and Fraught Family Dynamics. How do the particular difficulties of Trelawny’s family find their origins in immigration? How does the tension between Jamaican and American identity affect how Trelawny, Delano, and their parents relate to one another?

Discuss the characterization of Trelawny. How would you describe his struggle for identification and belonging? What impacts Trelawny’s personal growth and identity development?

How are hurricanes used as a motif within these stories? Which of the novel’s themes does this motif speak to?