By Cherie Jones
Little, Brown: 288 pages, $27
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Baxter Beach, the fictional Barbados setting of Cherie Jones’ first novel, is the kind of place an American might go to soak up sun and margaritas, maybe get a souvenir cornrow in their hair. In another book it would signal paradise, but not in “How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House,” which digs deep into the difficult lives of the often-invisible essential workers who make the tourist factory run.
Their struggles are about to become a little more visible. On Tuesday morning, Jones’ debut was announced as the “Good Morning America” Book Club selection for February, practically guaranteeing a vast audience for the story of a young pregnant woman named Lala, her violent husband, Adan, and their childhood friend Tone.