SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 OCM BOCAS PRIZE FOR CARIBBEAN LITERATURE Pumkin Patterson dreams of a life beyond her Jamaican hometown. But what we dream of and where we belong aren’t always the same thing… ‘A dazzling coming-of-age novel with an unforgettable heroine’ Red -- Eleven-year-old Pumpin knows a few things: That her mother has never loved her That Aunt Sophie does That baking makes everything better And France is a long way from her Jamaican home What Pumkin doesn’t know is: What will happen when Aunt Sophie leaves for France How far a mother can go to hurt a daughter Why a secret can rot a family That her cakes might just help save her life Whatever happens, Pumkin knows she needs someone to love her. But she just doesn’t know who . . . -- Praise for Sweetness in the Skin ‘Serves up a taste of Jamaica that will have you craving coconut drops, gizzada and sweet potato pudding’ The Times ‘Wonderful, tender, vivid’ Glamour