Away from Africa to U.S.A.: Marisa Labozzetta's Sometimes It Snows in America. Issue 6 (18th August 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Stefanelli, Maria Anita
• Is Part Of: Marriage & family review. Volume 57:Issue 6(2021)
• Page Start: 523
• Page End: 535
• Publication Date: 2021-08-18
• Subjects: parenthood/parenting -- identity development -- violence -- memory; Family -- United States -- Periodicals; Marriage -- United States -- Periodicals; 306.8
• DOI: 10.1080/01494929.2021.1948947
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0149-4929

Abstract

Abstract: This paper is about engendered migration, surrogacy, and memory. In Labozzetta's novel Sometimes It Snows in America, the "snow" is synonymous with hell, and provides a commentary on the protagonist's migration experiences throughout her life. Born into Somali royalty, Fatma, given away to a childless sister, turns into a victim of her cultural upbringing on the two continents where she spends her life—Africa and America. After a marriage experience that would fail, she is forced to turn over her child to her grandfather's household, with consequent devastation. She then becomes a prey to a new husband, whose betrayal she reacts to and pays with his revenge and a prison sentence. With therapy and counseling, she starts shaking off her errors, recovers her identity, and realizes that a path to redemption exists. Its uneven trajectory, though, crosses the two conditions of remembering and forgetting, so she must come to terms with specialist help. An unexpected note from her "lost" son raises some hope in the America that her child has to "know, " "learn, " and "understand."