Book Review: ‘Monday's Not Coming’ by Tiffany D. Jackson

"But that's what it's like nowadays. You used to see your family, at least for Sunday dinner. This here used to be a pretty tight community. But now everybody [is] so caught up in this and that, that you don't notice what's right in front of you."

Tiffany D. Jackson paints beautifully a picture of how times have changed. How has our sense of community and family evolved, and how does it impact our well-being individually and as a community?

Monday's Not Coming is a book that accounts for these societal changes through the story of the friendship and sisterhood of two young girls, Claudia and Monday. Claudia lives with her parents, is shy, and cannot make friends easily, making Monday her only friend.

Claudia's mother, Janet, ensures she feels loved and safe at home and school. Janet insists that Claudia ensures someone knows where she is throughout the day. She believes that is how one keeps safe and will know where to start if something goes wrong.

"There's nothing wrong with you checking in so someone knows where you are. Breadcrumbs, Claudia. Always good to leave breadcrumbs."

On the other hand, Monday lives with her mother, Mrs Charles, and her three other siblings, April, August and Tuesday, in a dangerous neighbourhood that outsiders like Janet are scared of. We later learn in the story that their house is too small for the four children and their mother.

Monday goes missing one summer when Claudia is away visiting her grandmother, as is her tradition. Claudia does not hear from Monday even after sending so many letters to her, as they promised to stay in touch while they were apart. When Claudia comes back home, it is still the same thing. She has yet to hear from Monday.

Monday loved school more than anything. She was smart and always the first to get to school before everyone else and before the gates opened. So, when Monday does not show up to school for an entire week, Claudia starts to worry that something terrible has happened to Monday.

"No one is happy to go to school, especially on Monday," Claudia grumbled. “I love school. Mondays are the best days! Aren't you excited about the start of the new week? It is like a new chapter of the book," Monday responded.

Jackson's unique chapter structure—before, before the before, the after, before the after, and so on—guides the reader through Claudia and Monday's fractured lives, enhancing the emotional complexities of each character and what has happened to them.

In the before, the reader learns why Monday loved school as much as she did. Monday and her siblings experience extreme abuse from their overbearing mother, who has no fear of what befalls her children.

Through April, the author sheds light on the impact of abusive homes on children, especially on older siblings. Forced to grow up too quickly, they often take on parental roles to care for and protect their younger siblings. They are usually robbed of the chance to experience their own childhood.

As Claudia continues to cope with Monday's absence, who was her protector and shield, she is forced to confront her own demons, including her struggle with dyslexia.

The author uses Claudia to highlight how school systems do not care enough about students to know what is happening to them. According to the author, many schools are driven by ranking, and teachers do not have time to care about the students' learning outcomes.

Not a day goes by without Claudia thinking of how she can find her friend. She is the only person who cares about her disappearance. The author highlights how the police and social welfare do not do their jobs when Claudia and her English teacher try to seek help from them. This is an example of how the systems put in place to protect you are doing the opposite.

The author pauses to ask a reflective question that perhaps all of us should ponder: "Who is really responsible for your well-being—family, the government, or your community?"

Monday's Not Coming is a haunting, layered book that touches on real issues and their impact on our lives. Jackson tackles serious problems, including accountability of those in power, extreme domestic abuse, miscarriage, mental health and extreme poverty, to name a few.

She successfully leaves the reader reflecting on their own lives, including the actions they take when they witness signs of abuse because they are always there—or speaking up about the disappearance of a child even when they are not yours. 

What are you doing for your community? For humanity? Is the world a better place because you are here?

Jane Shussa is passionate about books, coffee, nature, and travel. She serves as a Senior Digital Communications Officer for Twaweza East Africa.