Jonathan Escoffery’s debut story collection, If I Survive You, is an exercise in reframing the mythos surrounding cultural identity. The interconnected stories revolve around Trelawny, the introspective and bookish son of Jamaican immigrants, who lives with his family in Miami. Trelawny’s father is a construction worker, and his older brother Delano follows in his footsteps, isolating Trelawny as a different type of man who is also the only member of his family born on American soil. The stories are narrated by Trelawny—beginning with his childhood spent figuring out exactly where he fit in, extending through his stint of odd jobs in adulthood meant to stave off homelessness—but also by his brother, father, and cousin, who’s seeking to build a relationship with his own absent father.
The collection explores immigrant identity, and how racism and classism interact to disenfranchise many vulnerable Americans. Trelawny and his family are not only victimized by their racist peers, but also by the insidious forces of economic hardship and natural disaster—their already unstable home is completely destroyed by Hurricane Andrew, leaving their family totally adrift and uncertain of a way to move forward.
The collection is in many ways about the force that place exerts on one’s identity. Trelawny’s cultural identity shifts with his setting: in Miami he struggles to fit in with the Dominicans, in Jamaica he’s sticks out as an American, and in college in the midwest he’s simply black. This constantly shifting sense of identity is mirrored by the experiences of his family as well—his parents come to America only to feel like outsiders, but each time they return to Jamaica it’s not quite a perfect fit either.
The centrality of place in each narrative is a fascinating commentary on the external factors that shape a person’s identity, but setting is not the only external factor that acts upon Trelawny in these stories. Perhaps even more central to the novel’s questions about identity is the role that other people play in defining one’s identity. His father sees him as too different and Americanized, his girlfriend’s treat him like a token minority, the woman who hires him to punch her in the face for a photo project specifies “no black men” in her Craigslist ad, and the wealthy couple who hire him to watch them have sex dictate how he dresses. The people around him are always trying to map their own desires or needs onto him, just as they’ve had to carry the same burden for the people around them.
The collection explores the complicated nature of family, place, identity, and culture. Escoffery’s incisive narratives are confidently woven together, making the collection feel like an especially well-assembled effort. If I Survive You is constantly redefining what survival means for its characters, and what exactly they’re trying to survive. Escoffery’s debut is packed with humor and intelligence, providing the reader with a rare and exhilarating reading experience.