Recent Press

LitHub names BROUGHTUPSY a “most anticipated” paperback of 2025 1.3.25

Gabrielle Bellot highlights BROUGHTUPSY as a buzzworthy paperback to read in January.

Electric Literature names BROUGHTUPSY a Best Novel of 2024 12.6.24

The editors at Electric Literature selectes BROUGHTUPSY as one of the top 40 fiction titles of the year, praising the novel as “a queer bildungsroman, a tale of displacement, and a tender family saga.”

PRISM international reviews BROUGHTUPSY 10.24.24

Laurence Lewis Neal praises BROUGHTUPSY’s for depicting a “family portrait [that] hits a universal chord, showing how, even in the aftermath of loss, survivors can double-down and lose each other.”

Poets & Writers Fellowship at Vermont Studio Center 9.4.24

Poets & Writers selected Christina to be the inaugural fellow for their new, fully-funded residency at Vermont Studio Center (VSC).

ELLE names BROUGHTUPSY a best literary fiction novel of 2024 8.23.24

Elle’s Laura Puckett praises BROUGHTUPSY as a “deft debut” that showcases immense literary talent.

Interview with Chills at Will Podcast 8.13.24

Christina joins host Pete Riehl to discuss her childhood love of reading, the immeasurable influence of her favorite high school English teacher Mrs. Dooling, and notions of girlhood and “home” as explored in BROUGHTUPSY.

Named a “Writer to Watch” by CBC Books 8.2.24

CBC Books spotlights Christina as a “Writers to Watch” and praises the indelible impact of BROUGHTUPSY on contemporary Canadian fiction.

Interview with the Limousine Podcast 7.8.24

Christina joins hosts Leah Abrams & Heather Akumiah to discuss how to create complex characters, the pros and cons of pursuing a MFA, the never-ending nature of the writing process, and why delusion is the root of all bravery.

NPR’s Here & Now highlights BROUGHTUPSY 6.19.24

Traci Thomas (The Stacks Pod) joins NPR’s/WBUR’s Here & Now to spotlight BROUGHTUPSY as a must-read title to dive into during Juneteenth and Pride Month.

Debutiful names BROUGHTUPSY a best debut of 2024 6.17.24

Adam Vitcage highlights BROUGHTUPSY as a standout title of 2024, citing its extraordinary exploration of sibling dynamics amid cultural friction and familial grief: “I just can’t believe Cooke created such lively sisters on top of all of the magic she pulled off in this book.”

Interview with The Stacks Pod 6.14.24

Traci Thomas chats with Christina for her weekly column “Read to Know Basis” about what authors inspire Christina, who she envisions as her ideal reader, and the last surprising fact she learned from reading a work of fiction.

Interview with Advicetowriters.com 6.11.24

Christina shares a bit of her writing background with the good folks at Advicetowriters.com, giving us insider information on how she became a writer, what’s the best writing advice she’s ever gotten, and what she’s working on now.

BROUGHTUPSY featured by Bookstr 6.4.24

Brandon Smith at Bookstr highlights BROUGHTUPSY as one of three debut novels by Caribbean authors everyone should read during this year’s Caribbean Heritage Month!

Interview in Literature Hub 5.10.24

In this wide-ranging conversation, Christina talks with fellow debut author Marissa Higgins about their experiences of writing queerness as queer women themselves, making art in the margins of the mainstream, and their aspirations for the future of queer and sapphic literature.

Plenitude Magazine reviews BROUGHTUPSY 4.29.24

Shannon Page raves about BROUGHTUPSY, praising its “lush prose” and enthralling plot which moves along at a “refreshingly brisk pace.”

Interview with CBC Books’ The Next Chapter 4.20.24

Ryan B. Patrick chats with Christina about BROUGHTUPSY’s Vancouver connections, how she defines “broughtupsy” for herself, and the delicate balance between queerness and Jamaicanness shown through her novel.

Interview with Full Stop Magazine 4.16.24

Alex Madison connects with Christina to talk about the importance of sibling birth order on identity formation and the long journey to the publication of BROUGHTUPSY.

“The First Book” column for The Rumpus 4.10.24

As part of this monthly column, Christina delves into what inspired BROUGHTUPSY, how to face the sting of rejection, and what advice she has for emerging writers currently trying to find their way.

Interview with the Wild Precious Life podcast 4.2.24

Christina joins host Annmarie Kelly to discuss cultural upbringings, the cruelty of children, the joys of weightlifting, and all the ways BROUGHTUPSY reveals the complexity of human relationships and our inherent worthiness for love.

CBC Radio’s Homestretch reviews BROUGHTUPSY 3.26.24

Anne Logan joins CBC Homestretch to share a bit about BROUGHTUPSY and the novel’s incredible ability to transport the reader into the thick of the heat of downtown Kingston.

Interview with Vogue 3.23.24

Vogue’s Emma Specter chats with Christina about grief, family, and the difficulties of going home as rendered in BROUGHTUPSY.

I’ve Read This reviews BROUGHTUPSY 3.21.24

The Canadian book review blog I’ve Read This gives BROUGHTUPSY a rave review, praising the novel for doing “fantastic job of evoking all the senses to ensure the reader feels included.”

The /tƐmz/ Review reviews BROUGHTUPSY 3.13.24

Marcie McCauley raves about BROUGHTUPSY’s “intersection between personal and inherited history” in what she hails as an “engaging and rewarding debut.”

Poets & Writers’ virtual reading 3.11.24

Christina reads the opening pages of BROUGHTUPSY alongside the other cohort members of the 2023 Get The Word Out publicity incubator administered by Poets & Writers.

Interview with Xtra Magazine 3.4.24

Xtra’s Lynette George chats with Christina about the process of writing BROUGHTUPSY, exploring immigrant narratives through literature, and the natural synergy between queerness and spirituality.

François Bereaud reviews BROUGHTUPSY 2.22.24

In this rave review, Bereaud praises BROUGHTUPSY as “a force” and a “must read”, describing it as “rich novel that takes us on a multifaceted journey though space, time, identity, sexuality, and the struggles of family.”

Jodi-Ann’s Lit Lounge Presents: BROUGHTUPSY 2.13.24

Jodi-Ann Burey (author of the forthcoming Authentic) interviews Christina about BROUGHTUPSY’s use of Jamaican patois, the richness of the novel’s sensory details, and the intimacy achieved between grief, family, sexuality, and belonging through the central story.

Interview with Karibbean Kollective 2.10.24

The online magazine Karibbean Kollective talks with Christina about the Caribbean influences throughout BROUGHTUPSY, her favorite things to do when she’s home in Jamaica, and what’s next for her artistic pursuits.

“Ready Fi Di Thumpin’”: Playlist for BROUGHTUPSY 2.2.24

Christina takes us inside the the beats and melodies that energized BROUGHTUPSY, and gives us a glimpse into the ways music shapes her writing experience.

Interview with otherppl podcast 1.31.24

Christina joins host Brad Listi to tell the “story behind the story” — how she drew inspiration from other immigrant narratives while writing BROUGHTUPSY, how the novel broadens the conversation by including queerness, and where she hopes her aspirations take her next. Available on Apple, Google, Spotify, and Amazon.

Interview with Open Book 1.29.24

Open Book chats with Christina about what tips and tricks she learned about the writing process during her years of drafting BROUGHTUPSY.

British Columbia Review reviews BROUGHTUPSY 1.26.24

In this rave review, Jessica Poon highlights the novel’s “excellent” technical skill and its realistic representation of complicated sibling dynamics.

“Authors to Watch”: Christina Cooke on Shondaland 1.25.24

Christina chats with Shondaland’s Sarah Neilson about the joy, beauty, grief, and yearning that motivates the return to Jamaica at the heart of BROUGHTUPSY.

Interview with Debutiful 1.24.24

Christina joins host Adam Vitcavage to discuss the many ways that writing and revising BROUGHTUPSY bettered not only her work but herself as a person, as well as the strange food addictions she developed while crafting her debut novel. Available on Apple and Spotify.

Interview with the Chicago Review of Books 1.24.24

Stephen Patrick Bell interviews Christina about the Jamaican influences that animate BROUGHTUPSY, such as Anancy and Miss Lou — the novel’s wily embodiment of Jamaican folklore.

Interview with Gays Reading podcast 1.18.24

Brett Benner and Jason Blitman chat with Christina about the generative tension between queerness and spiritually that undergirds a Jamaican novel like BROUGHTUPSY.

Toronto Star reviews BROUGHTUPSY 1.18.24

“[T]alent is very much in evidence in BROUGHTUPSY," writes Robert Wiersema in this rave review, praising the novel’s artistic and technical mastery which “Cooke achieves with deceptive ease.”

Literary Review of Canada reviews BROUGHTUPSY  1.16.24

Caroline Noël praises the novel as “descriptive and intimate” as it “deftly” explores the “complex nature of belonging.”