Jacqueline Crooks on Toni Morrison and Writing Identity 2026

Jacqueline Crooks, author of The Ice Migration, shares how Toni Morrison's voice made her want to find her own. In this exclusive interview, Crooks reflects on the books and authors that shaped her writing, from childhood classics to Caribbean landscapes.

Early Reading and the Power of Imagination

Crooks recalls receiving The Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley at age eight, after moving to live with her mother and stepfather. The story of leaving one world and adapting to another gave shape to her unnamed feelings, developing what she calls her "survival imagination."

David Copperfield: A Lesson in Empathy

Her favorite book growing up was David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. Following David's journey from exclusion to belonging taught Crooks empathy and the importance of relationships that sustain us versus those we must leave behind.

Teenage Revelations: Wuthering Heights and Landscape as Character

Reading Wuthering Heights at 12 or 13, Crooks was fascinated by Heathcliff's enigmatic nature. Emily Brontë taught her that landscape is character—the moors mirror the emotional lives of Cathy and Heathcliff. This shaped her writing style, drawing her to unknowable characters and psychologically alive places.

Shakespeare's The Tempest: A Midlife Discovery

In her 40s, a writing tutor suggested The Tempest while Crooks was working on The Ice Migration. The island setting and themes of displacement resonated deeply, making her realize Shakespeare could speak to her life.

Toni Morrison: The Author Who Inspired Her Voice

Crooks cannot pinpoint which Morrison novel affected her most—The Bluest Eye, Tar Baby, or Jazz. What mattered was Morrison's ability to create worlds that are familiar, dreamlike, and grounded yet unknowable. Morrison showed Crooks that Black lives and marginalized characters deserve to be centered in literature. Her voice made Crooks want to find her own.

Returning to Wilson Harris: Landscape and Cultural Inheritance

Initially, Crooks found Wilson Harris's writing demanding. Returning in her 40s, she was captivated by his Guyanese landscapes. Harris demonstrated that landscape can carry history, memory, and imagination, helping Crooks value her Jamaican cultural inheritance.

Key Takeaways from Jacqueline Crooks's Literary Journey

• Early reading develops survival imagination and emotional resilience.
• Classic novels like David Copperfield teach empathy and relational wisdom.
• Landscape can function as a character, mirroring inner emotional states.
• Authors like Toni Morrison validate marginalized voices and inspire authenticity.
• Returning to challenging texts later in life can yield profound insights.

Comparison of Literary Influences

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