Sugar and Slate

"Sugar and Slate" is a memoir by a mixed-race young woman growing up in a small town on the coast of north Wales. It is a story of movement and dislocation, exploring the author's mixed-race identity and the wider experience of mixed-race Britons. It is also a story of Welshness and Wales, and a story for those who look over the sea to other places.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 01 September 2022
Publisher: Parthian Books

In association with Planet Books, a new edition of this seminal book of Welsh literature has been released, featuring an introduction by Professor Hazel V. Carby. While Williams' Welshness sets her mixed-race identity apart, it is her exceptional humor, candor, and stylistic facility that truly make her work stand out. An engaging and perceptive voice, she describes an engrossing and particular personal story.

Gary Younge's novel, "Sugar and Slate," follows the journey of a mixed-race young woman, the daughter of a white Welsh-speaking mother and a black father from Guyana. Growing up in a small town on the coast of north Wales, she embarks on a series of travels to Africa, the Caribbean, and finally back to Wales. The novel explores the themes of movement and dislocation, depicting a constant tug of to-ing and fro-ing, going away and coming back, with a sense of always being half home.

"Sugar and Slate" is both a personal memoir and a story that speaks to the broader experience of mixed-race Britons. It delves into the complexities of Welshness and Wales, intertwining them with the experiences of those who look across the sea to other places. The author candidly shares her own struggles with identity, navigating the challenges of being seen as neither fully African nor fully Welsh.

The novel also touches on the broader the broader diasporic experience, exploring the complexities of cultural identity and belonging. The author's journey reflects the experiences of many who have moved across borders, seeking a sense of home and belonging in a world that often struggles to understand their diverse backgrounds.

Through her storytelling, Younge offers a poignant and relatable portrayal of the mixed-race experience, shedding light on the complexities and nuances of identity formation. "Sugar and Slate" is a story for those who have ever felt like they don't quite fit into any one place, and for those who seek to understand the experiences of others who navigate the world as multiples.

Weight: 256g
Dimension: 128 x 198 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781914595219