Boundaries

Written by Elizabeth Nunez

Narrated by Je Nie Fleming

In an age of reality TV, a husband and wife cling to Victorian notions of privacy, though doing so threatens the life of the wife. Their daughter, Anna, yearns for her mother’s unguarded affection, and eventually learns there is value in restraint. But Anna, a Caribbean American immigrant, finds that lesson harder to accept when, eager to assimilate in her new country, she discovers that a gap yawns between her and American-born citizens.
The head of a specialized imprint at a major publishing house, Anna is soon challenged for her position by an ambitious upstart who accuses her of not really understanding American culture, particularly African American culture. Her job at stake, Anna turns for advice to her boyfriend Paul, a Caribbean American himself, who attempts to convince her that immigrants must accept limitations on their freedom in America.
Told in spare and transcendent prose, Boundaries is a riveting immigrant story, a fascinating look into the world of contemporary book publishing, a beautiful extension of the exploration of family dynamics that began in Nunez’s previous novel Anna In-Between, and a heart-warming love story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Everand Productions
• Release date: Jul 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781094418896

Elizabeth Nunez

Elizabeth Nunez is the award-winning author of eight novels. Both Boundaries and Anna In-Between were New York Times Editors' Choices and Anna In-Between won the 2010 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award and the 2011 Writers for Writers Award from Poets & Writers and Barnes & Noble. Nunez also received a NALIS Lifetime Literary Award from the Trinidad & Tobago National Library. She is a Distinguished Professor at Hunter College, CUNY, where she teaches fiction writing.

Reviews for Boundaries

[Rosie John-Baptiste · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Sadly, I can only judge this book by the narration, which prevented me from progressing beyond chapter one.

I felt something was “off” with the narration; it felt as though the narrator was somehow disconnected from telling the story, focusing instead on elocution and saying the words in each sentence. I listen to a lot of audiobooks, and the narration is everything - from setting the scene, to holding the listener’s interest (Stephen King’s “Mr Mercedes” is an excellent example).

I dug a little deeper and realized the narrator is American and is narrating in a British accent. As a Londoner, I could immediately tell the accent was not authentic and it proved to be an insurmountable distraction. I wondered why an authentic Londoner of Caribbean descent could not have been cast as narrator instead.

I can’t recommend the audiobook version, and will instead find an ebook of this title, which I am still keen to read.

[Ellen Henstrom · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I liked the discussion about belonging and a Frank look at what gives status and credibility.

[Busisiwe Hlatswayo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful, informative while entertaining. A glimpse into the history and challenges of Caribbean-Americans - the hyphenated people as they are called in the novel. The Black experience is indeed not monolithic.

[Lauce Lau · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The subtle analysis of difficult human relationships,the realism of the race situation and most of all the beautiful choice of words
Please include more books by E. Nunez

[Melissa Dunn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a fantastic book that I would have not normally have read. It gave me a wonderful insight into a culture that I don’t understand. I’m so glad i accidentally stumbled upon it.

[Shay · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully executed. Lovely storytelling. I learned quite a bit about expatriation and the toll it takes on those who leave and those who stay.