If I Survive You

The story follows a Jamaican immigrant family that moves to Miami in the 1970s. It is told through eight connected short stories.

The main character is Trelawny, the young son of Topper and Sanya; they moved to Miami in the 1970s in search of stability after political violence erupted in their hometown of Kingston, Jamaica. The parents struggle to build a home and find meaning in their new circumstances, faced with long-standing systemic inequities in America, and a feeling of living outside the mainstream. They deal with the havoc of Hurricane Andrew, economic uncertainty and a disconnect from their two sons, Trelawny and Delano, both who face their own struggles with identity. Much of the book is delivered from Trelawny's perspective, with stories following his coming of age, his turbulent relationship with his father, as well as his struggle to belong in any one place and with any one community.

Growing up, Trelawny does not feel accepted by his family or with peers, caught between the cultural pressures imposed by his family and the draw of fitting in with American ideals. His identity and allegiances are regularly questioned because, as the book depicts, these are typically determined around racial lines in America. Trelawny feels pressure to live up to his Jamaican roots at times while being drawn by America's promises of opportunity and individualism. Trelawny perceives his brother Delano, as preferred by his father. This is especially true following a rift between his parents that leads to their separation, and him living with his mother, while his father agrees to custody of Delano.

Nonetheless, Trelawny survives the pains of adolescence and decides to pursue college in the Midwest. Here, he faces an alternate view of his race. He is decidedly perceived as Black in the predominantly white Midwestern college he chooses. Any ambiguity around his race which he faced in Miami, a city of many backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures is gone. At first, he takes comfort in this different space, but begins to miss Miami and moves back with hopes of building a life. Jobless, he seeks help from his father. But after a violent fight between them, he finds himself homeless. He begins to take on odd gigs, answering off-beat Craigslist ads, and eventually landing himself a job at a building management office of a Miami Beach apartment complex. His main responsibility becomes badgering financially distressed tenants to pay rent.

Meanwhile, his brother Delano's luck deteriorates. The contracting business he runs goes under and his wife takes his two sons and leaves for another state. Trelawny eventually moves in with his brother to their childhood home, which Delano rents from their father. Their relationship remains competitive and tense, leading to a battle to buy their father's house. Underlying every struggle in the book is a will to survive, and, ultimately, hope.

If I Survive You was published by MCD Books in both hardback and paperback, with both being 272 pages long.[2][3] Variously described as being a novel, short-story collection, or even autobiographical,[4] it was released to the public on September 6, 2022.[5] Macmillan Audio simultaneously released an audiobook edition produced by Farrar, Straus and Giroux and narrated by Torian Brackett.[6] Its quality was commended by AudioFile Magazine, which gave it their Earphones Award.[7]

If I Survive You was released to wide acclaim. The review aggregator Book Marks gave it their highest "rave" rating based on 18 reviews, all of which they assessed as being positive or better.[8] The book's reviewers particularly praised the author's narrative style, technical skill, and use of humor.[9]

In a universally positive review, Katy Waldman at The New Yorker said that Escoffery's "fiction is marked by ingenuity [...] The book feels thrillingly free". Waldman called out Escoffery's adept sense of humor, often expressed in what she called the "comedy of infighting", and applauded his portrayal of "the disorienting effects of race as they fall".[10] NPR's Maureen Corrigan felt that the ending of one of the short stories, "Splashdown", and its sink or swim spirit favorably compared to the classic novel Moby-Dick. She also highlighted Escoffery's writing about the effects of race in the United States, whether due to explicit racism, the effects of the Great Recession, or in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew.[11]

Michael Ferry at BookTrib lauded Escoffery's technical skill, noting that his perspective shifts between first, second, and third person, along with his tense shifts between past, present, and future, could have been distracting if done by a "less-skilled writer". Instead, Ferry continued, "Escoffery uses each transition with purpose. The reader is given a multitude of angles and distances from which to view each character and their environment. A strong connection is created with the subject, conflict and emotion become more intense, and the setting gains additional layers of texture."[12] The Guardian's reviewer Ian Williams agreed, and praised the unusual use of second person to cement the "estrangement Trelawny feels from himself" and for the sense of empathy it fostered between the reader and main character. Williams additionally highlighted Escoffery's "interracial sensitivity", writing that his "courage to move beyond the politeness that silences meaningful conversations on race" brought on moments where Williams "wanted to snap my fingers, like at a poetry slam."[4]

In a measured article for The New York Times Book Review, Andrew Martin also applauded Escoffery's "disarming" and "irreverent" humor, along with his ability to make him empathize with the main characters. However, Martin critiqued Escoffery's pacing, saying that he "wished at times that I was caught more forcefully in a current of narrative momentum with them", and added that parts of the book felt "less than convincing".[13]

In a starred review, Kirkus succinctly called If I Survive You "a fine debut that looks at the complexities of cultural identity with humor, savvy, and a rich sense of place."[5] The Financial Times' Suzi Feay wrote that If I Survive You was "jaunty, irrepressible and full of energy even in moments of horror. A fine achievement."[14] Time listed it on their 100 must-read books of 2022.[15]

• Bancroft, Colette (September 22, 2023). "Family, identity at the heart of Jonathan Escoffery's 'If I Survive You'". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
• "Jonathan Escoffery interview: 'Humour is a coping mechanism used by people who are aware of their powerlessness'". The Booker Prizes. September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
• Jude, Jen St (September 6, 2022). "Black Immigrants and the American Dream: An Interview with Jonathan Escoffery on "If I Survive You"". Chicago Review of Books. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
• Oldweiler, Cory (September 2, 2022). "Review: 'If I Survive You,' by Jonathan Escoffery". Star Tribune. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
• Strong, Lynn Steger (September 6, 2022). "Review: How to survive hurricanes, family and the American dream, in a blazing story cycle". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 29, 2023.

• Fernandes, Deepa (October 27, 2022). "Author Jonathan Escoffery's 'If I Survive You' explores Jamaican-American immigrant experience". WBUR-FM. Retrieved September 29, 2023. – recorded interview with Jonathan Escoffery