Long Time No See

Without a doubt, Hannah Lowe's father 'Chick', a half-Chinese, half-black Jamaican immigrant, worked long hours at night to support his family - except Chick was no ordinary working man. A legendary gambler, he would vanish into the shadows of East London to win at cards or dice, returning during the daylight to greet the daughter whose love and respect he courted. In this poignant memoir, Lowe calls forth the unstable world of card sharps, confidence men and small-time criminals that eventually took its toll on Chick. She also evokes her father's Jamaica, where he learned his formidable skills, and her own coming of age in a changing Britain. Long Time No See speaks eloquently of love and its absence, regret and compassion, and the struggle to know oneself. What could make for better drama than the emotional complexity of a loving but remote dad whose inner demons propel him to master-status on the London gambling scene, mixed with scenes of racially charged and often plain intolerant Essex life in the 80s, plus flashbacks to a Jamaica that itself was a curry of social tensions? Yet this memoir is quiet, gently paced, redolent with insight and questioning and told with an impressive generosity of spirit. This hugely satisfying read is as good for the soul as it is soulful.