A Caribbean Feast of Stories by G.M. Linton
A Caribbean Feast of Stories
I could not have created Sunshine Simpson and her family without the compelling life stories of my parents, and the rich cultural experiences I enjoyed when growing up.
My parents, who travelled to England from Jamaica in the 1950s, would often sit in the front room of our family home and tell my siblings and me (and later their grandchildren) stories of life “back home” in Jamaica, and what it was like when they first came to England. I enjoyed their stories, and always said “I need to write these stories down”. Years later, I did, and this inspiration helped Sunshine Simpson come to life on the page.
One of the central memories of my childhood, which I have tried to highlight in the series, is FOOD – particularly the glorious food of the Caribbean.
My mum was a wonderful cook and both she and my dad were great hosts and entertainers.
Their social network remained people from “back home” – their family and friends from Jamaica. We would visit them at their houses, or they would come over to ours on a Saturday or Sunday evening and have a light supper: a slice of bun and cheese or dip into the luxury box of savoury crackers left over from Christmas. Everyone was well catered for, whether there was plenty or little in the cupboards. Hospitality was a benchmark of our culture. The “big people” chatted their grown-up talk while we – their children – played.
Family parties were grander occasions, rotated to different houses and filled with the sound of laughter and music: Ska, Rocksteady and Calypso. More food included curry mutton, fried or cooked-down chicken, curry patties, rice and peas, and on and on with the culinary delights. Eating together connected the older generation (born in Jamaica) and the younger generation (mostly born in Britain) to memories and stories of being “back home”. There was a deep sense of community. Unity. Belonging. Joy. I have tried to make this convivial spirit come to life in my Sunshine Simpson books.
My mum’s baking, particularly her Jamaican rum cake, was legendary in the local community. I would crowd around the mixing bowl, waiting to get hold of the giant mixing spoon to lick once she had finished stirring the batter. The memory is making me grin as I write. And, perhaps, this is one of the reasons why baking is such a strong element in the second Sunshine Simpson book, Sunshine Simpson Cooks Up a Storm.
One of the main things I wanted to do when writing the Sunshine Simpson series was to keep the Windrush legacy alive, so that that the heritage and culture of this special community of people is not forgotten – and what better way than to pass this on than through storytelling. Both food and storytelling have the power to form connections to different lands – to experience a country’s culture even if you are not able to visit those countries yourself.
The feast of stories my parents and my older relatives told, as well as the music and food of my childhood, are important ingredients that have helped me along the way.
Even now, the smell of a Caribbean dish has the power to evoke wonderful memories, a sense of nostalgia. And without those memories, I would not have been able to tell Sunshine’s story authentically.
G.M. Linton is the author of the Sunshine Simpson series. My Name is Sunshine Simpson published in 2023 and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Sunshine Simpson Cooks Up a Storm published in October 2023 and the newest title, Sunshine Simpson: Friends Always and Forever is out August 2024.