Debbie DiGiovanni. Jamaican Me Crazy. Revell. 2006.

This is a hilarious book about a group of women who decide to ditch Christmas and spend it in Jamaica. They leave their husbands, children, and Christmas stress behind. A single woman in the group won a large sum of money and decides to treat her friends to this trip. She didn’t realize that each woman would have to gain permission from their husband to make the trip.

During the trip, the single woman meets the man of her dreams. Other members of the group are warning her not to get involved while some members are pushing for her to get married. You’ll find it hilarious when this dream man thinks that Felix, her cat, is a boyfriend and a contender for her hand in marriage.

The group also solves a mystery when they learn that the beach preacher’s locked box contains things that have been stolen from guests of their hotel. It is ironic that the “preacher” is just getting his sermons off the internet. It actually made me wonder how many preachers today use the internet to find sermons rather than seeking God’s leading and writing their own.

While on this trip, the group uses diaries to write their complaints about each other instead of verbalizing them. Their entries prove very revealing as you realize just how shallow their grievances are. You’ll also learn about how they deal with a member of the group that snores and doesn’t seem to realize it.

I was awed to learn how the average Jamaican lives. Americans normally only see the tourist side of the island. We don’t see the poor and sometimes starving people in need of basic needs like food and medical care.

The novel’s conclusion also shows you what the men learned from their wives being absent through the Holiday season. Some learned they were able to handle day to day life with children. One ditches his children and takes a wild ride across the country on a motorcycle. Another one learns he can handle his business’s Christmas party without his wife.

Recommendation

Copyrighted by Diana Pederson, 2005-2009