Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez: Book Review

First released in May 2017, Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez has made the CBC Canada Reads 2022 shortlist. Published by Arsenal Pulp Press, Scarborough is a look into a low-income, culturally diverse neighborhood east of Toronto.

CW/TW: racism, child abuse, bullying, domestic abuse, off-page drug and alcohol usage, police harassment, sexual harassment

Synopsis from Goodreads

Scarborough is a low-income, culturally diverse neighborhood east of Toronto, the fourth largest city in North America; like many inner-city communities, it suffers under the weight of poverty, drugs, crime, and urban blight. Scarborough the novel employs a multitude of voices to tell the story of a tight-knit neighborhood under fire: among them, Victor, a black artist harassed by the police; Winsum, a West Indian restaurant owner struggling to keep it together; and Hina, a Muslim school worker who witnesses first-hand the impact of poverty on education.

And then there are the three kids who work to rise above a system that consistently fails them: Bing, a gay Filipino boy who lives under the shadow of his father’s mental illness; Sylvie, Bing’s best friend, a Native girl whose family struggles to find a permanent home to live in; and Laura, whose history of neglect by her mother is destined to repeat itself with her father.

Positives

The characters are all well-written, even the nasty ones! Laura, Bing, and Sylvie all make me want to hug them and fight for them. Cory, on the other hand, makes me want to hit him. I may or may not have cried at the end of the book.

Negatives

Some of the language used throughout some chapters was quite uncomfortable as it was full of sexist and racist content. But I understand it was used to help establish a character’s personality.

My Opinions

Scarborough is not an easy read by any means. While under 300 pages, it discusses some serious and heavy topics and doesn’t hold back. Many authors overlook low-income neighborhoods when they write, and Hernandez does not; she lived the life she writes about.

The book is set for one year, basically revolving around a school year. Throughout that year, there are multiple points of view, as each chapter is told from a different character’s perspective. Some characters only tell their story once, while others tell it over multiple chapters. Many of the narrators are school-aged children.

The characters are all people that you would probably come across in any neighborhood, no matter the income level of the residents. This neighborhood has people struggling to make ends meet, yet they look out for each other. Some look down their noses at others, yet their lives aren’t much better. People are dealing with mental illness, their sexuality, and the lack of a healthy, loving relationship.

There are some problematic passages throughout this book. The language used, while uncomfortable, is used to show character flaws and personalities (no matter how bad they are).

Scarborough has been shortlisted for CBC Canada Reads 2022. And I will be interested to see how it fares against the other four books. For my initial thoughts on the list, visit my announcement post.

Looking for some more books to read? Check out my other book reviews and my monthly reading wrap-ups.