If I Survive You: The relentless pursuit to belong

AT FIRST glance, If I Survive You appears like the title of a romantic melodrama by Colleen Hoover (It Ends With Us, Regretting You) or a horror mystery by Jennifer McMahon (The One I Left Behind, The Drowning Kind). However, the Booker Prize-nominated novel by Jamaican-American writer Jonathan Escoffery defies such expectations, unveiling poignant new meanings in the title as one delves deeper into its narrative.

On the surface, the title hints at the complex and often strained relationships between fathers and sons – a theme that resonates throughout the novel. In an interview, Escoffery suggests that the need to “survive” our fathers is a universal experience, underlining the weighty emotional terrain explored within his work.

Yet, If I Survive You is more than just a familial allegory. It also serves as a powerful symbol for the intricate challenges faced by the novel’s central Jamaican immigrant family as they navigate the complexities of life in a new country. Here, the word “You” takes on other meanings, representing both the United States and the myriad obstacles that confront impoverished people of colour. These hurdles include systemic racism, pervasive violence, employment struggles, and a criminal justice system fraught with injustice.