Witterson, Jeanette Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit”

“Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit” is a novel written by the British writer Jeanette Witterson.

The Life of Jeanette

The novel tells the story of a little girl, Jeanette, who was adopted by a very religious and bigoted family, made up of a cumbersome, obsessive, oppressive mother who grows her daughter into an imaginary dome made of liturgical songs, guitars On the Bible and "oranges", which, in order to protect the daughter of sinful contamination, will send it to school much later than all other children.

Jeanette has a "strong vocation" to become God's missionary, and any problem, doubt, or uncertainty resolves by eating a few oranges because as mother teaches "there is nothing like oranges."

The Discovery of Homosexuality

However, the period of adolescence will change everything: Jeanette will discover her own homosexuality and this will lead her to the exclusion of the community and to disappoint her mother. Jeanette is considered possessed by the devil from the community, despite the love she has proved pure, free and uncontaminated.
To reinforce the religious image of the protagonist this novel is divided into chapters bearing the name of some Old Testament books, throughout Jeanette's growth path also the way of exposing the facts changes, it begins with the simple language of a Little girl, moving to a more obstinate and rebellious book until she comes to the deep and structured reflections of an adult woman.