Long Time No See

About this book

Hannah Lowes father "Chick " a half-Chinese half-black Jamaican immigrant worked long hours at night to support his familyexcept 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 hours 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 recalls her own coming-of-age in a London suburb during the racially charged 1980s and conjures her fathers difficult childhood in a changing Jamaica where he first honed his formidable skills. Lowe tells Chicks story eloquently even as she begins to make sense of her own. Gently paced dramatic and complex Long Time No See speaks of love and its absence; regret and compassion; and the struggle to know oneself. Hannah Lowe teaches at the Poetry School in London. Her poetry collection Chick was shortlisted for the 2013 Forward Prize for Best First Collection.