Writer: Elizabeth Jones
Ages: 12 years and up

A Dark Iris

It is 1972 and 12-Year-old Rebekah Eve is excited to be on her way the prestigious Meridian Institute with her  best friend Wanda. But Rebekah’s joy is dampened by her parents’ separation. She misses having her father at home and the fun things they did together and dislikes her mother’s new “friend” – Thomas Forster – who
is trying way too hard to win her over. These personal changes take place while her country, goes through dramatic changes of its own, and life gets even more complicated when her new crush Zende is arrested for the attempted assassination of the Governor. To cope, Rebekah turns to her art. But her paintings take on new, or rather ‘old’ life, as figures from the past seep in and replace her usual subjects. She is thrust into a whirlwind of emotion her visions and resulting painting of the evils of slavery in Bermuda unveil wounds of the past that are not buried as deeply as some would like. With help from the mysterious Lady of the Library and her new art tutor Mr. Stowe, perhaps, she will make sense of these visions and unearth the truth behind one of the legends of her Bermuda’s past! Truths that are difficult for a young girl to digest. Along the way she learns to trust herself, believe in her talents and that even a little black girl, from a small island, could one day
become a famous artist! A Dark Iris seamlessly combines the historical novel with magical realism. It was a finalist for the 2018 CODE Burt Award for Caribbean Young Adult Literature.