Nitya

I really enjoyed this book - I lingered over it and savoured every word, unlike a lot of books I've read I felt I was just sleep-reading my way through. The writing was crisp, clear, and painted a vibrant, vigorous picture. The immediacy and intensity of some of the scenes - Talbot being beaten up on the hill, Sabine finding George in the pool, and my fave, the scene with the local badjohn turning up during mass - kept me riveted and straining like I was actually there myself.

At some points, the pace did dip, but I guess what I enjoyed most about the novel was Sabine. Having first seen her as a bitter, almost-cynical, old woman, and then seeing her younger self and realising how she changed as a person scared me, as I realized I am headed that way myself. I love how inspite of her wanting to leave Trinidad, angry that she couldnt develop a wholesome relationship with the husband, she was the one, and not George who truly saw Trinidadians as more than just elements in the scenic beauty of the island.