Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit

Oranges are not only fruit is a semi-autobiographical novel that blends myth, satire, and realism, making it a timeless exploration of human complexity. The narrative is centred around Jeanettes coming-of-age journey as she navigates the oppressive expectations of her adoptive mother and the overzealous religious community that believes in absolute binaries of good and evil, faith and sin. Reckoning with her sexuality and coming out as a lesbian, she is forced to question everything she had been taught, and is torn apart between who she was raised to be and who she really is. Those conflicted feelings are reflected in her relationship with her mother, which is particularly well-drawn, with both affection and hostility at play, illustrating the emotional complexity of their dynamic.