Jubilee

A Novel

By: Jennifer Givhan

Narrated by: Hallie Ricardo

When Bianca appears late one night at her brother’s house in Santa Ana, she is barely conscious, though not alone. Jubilee, wrapped in a fuzzy pink romper, is buckled into a car seat. Jubilee, who Bianca feeds and clothes and bathes and loves. Jubilee, who Bianca could not leave behind. Jubilee, a doll in her arms.

Told in alternating points of view, Jubilee reveals both the haunting power of our lived experiences and the surreal possibility of the present to heal the past.

The first thread, “Before Jubilee”, follows Bianca in her girlhood home on the Mexicali border as she struggles with her high school sweetheart, Gabe, and a secret they’ve shared since she was 15.

The second thread, “With Jubilee”, is told from the point of view of her new love, Joshua, who, along with Bianca’s family, helps her cope with a mysterious trauma by accepting Jubilee as part of the family. As Joshua’s love for Bianca grows, he fears that Jubilee has the power to tear his tiny family apart.

Alternating chapters give listeners a unique perspective on Bianca’s present and on her relationship with Jubilee as her past life with Gabe comes to a catastrophic end.

Jubilee is at once a darkly suspenseful psychological drama and a luminous reflection on how beauty emerges from even the most traumatic of experiences.

©2020 Jennifer Givhan (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

The depth of her pain!!!

This book made me feel seen in many ways. Maybe her family background, maybe just the guilt in her decisions outcomes. I just felt all the different types of pain.

I love that she overcame all of it! Your history does not have to be your future!

Perfect narration!!

The narration was great! The book is amazingly well written! It was refreshing! I recommend it.

Beautiful book!

Wow! Jubilee is so poignant and surprising! This is a surreal and wonderful story! Highly recommend!

poignantly beautiful

Somber and somewhat emotionally challenging but ultimately uplifting/empowering story. Beautiful writing and excellent performance.

I have no words for how beautiful this is

I stumbled upon this jewel in the "included" section since I'd burned my credit for the month pretty quickly. What an incredible find! Beautifully written. Literary and poetic. A quirky story that becomes less odd and more painfully real the deeper you sink into it. This may not be for everyone, but you should give it a try. I will never forget this one.

And the narration, spot on. Beautiful accent. Nice variations between characters.

I will say, between the colorful descriptions and careful narration, the pace seemed a bit slow for me. I had to speed it up to 1.1. And then, perfect.