When does one come of age? Most of us tend to remember it through definable landmarks: working after school hours, graduation, a first kiss, and the sensation of that first sip of alcohol. But reading Zalika Reid-Benta’s debut novel Frying Plantain reminds us that the journey to adulthood is more subtle than that. It is in the moment when you unravel the meaning of adult conversations you have heard before. It is in the shock at reactions to unexpected events of daily life. Coming of age happens through a series of events in which a child’s awe at the unknown but defined world evolves into the acceptance of its unpredictability.…