Daphne Palasi Andreades’ debut novelBrown Girls is a vibrant, emotive account of what it means to navigate life as a woman of colour today. In the opening chapter ofBrown Girls, Andreades sets the scene for what is to become the heartbeat of the novel – the ‘dregs’ of Queens. ‘On our block, a lonely tree grows. Its branches tangle in power lines. Its roots upend side-walks where we ride our bikes before they are stolen. Roots that render the concrete slabs uneven, like a row of crooked teeth,’ writes Andreades. An urban setting, rough around the edges but rich in culture. Although largely plot…