Kevin Jared HoseinCritiques

The writing was beautiful but I struggled to connect with the characters. This could, however, be because of the situation I found myself reading the book in. I might decide to pick it up again in the future to see if being less socially exhausted improves the experience as this isn't an easy book to read (difficult contents and the style, while delightful, might take a little getting used to)

The book and the author both seem to getting a big boost at the moment, with the Booker prize being mentioned. I was less swept away, initially, but I felt the author was mastering his craft as he wrote the book. The last third was significantly better than the first third of the book.
But I don't want to be over critical. This is a significant book and one that deserves to be widely read. Set in rural Trinidad in the 1940s the book tells the stories of the very poor. The characters are varied and believable. The poverty is crushing.
A couple of quirks. The author uses some of the most arcane terminology I have come across in a book. I found myself reaching for reference material more that I would have liked. But set against the (well crafted) broken and ungrammatic patois of the characters, the obscure vocabulary just seems more than a little odd.
There are also a few time travellers appearing in 1940s Trinidad - well before their time. Penicillin. Silicone caulking. A record player (78 rpm shellac records at that time!) that continues playing for hours after the owners have gone to bed. These are merely amusing and don't detract from the book. But the editors and publishers should be embarrassed.

Gruesome story set on the island of Trinidad around the 1940's when there is a presence of white landowners living closely to those in dire poverty. A mixture of Hindu and Christian and indigenous beliefs. Hans and his wife live in the barracks along with other families - so closely that every sounds is heard from room to room. Hans manages to get a job on the property of the Changoor's, a wealthy family. When Mr. Changoor disappears, his wife, Marlee entices Hans to stay over night for protection due to some strange happenings in the area. Hans' son, Krishna, is especially upset and embarrassed about his father.

The conditions of the people are sad and miserable, yet there is a strong sense of family, duty, and loyalty to their own kind.

I didn't particularly like the writing style as some of the sentences simply didn't seem to make sense. The story is sad, but I never really could really build up a feeling for the characters.

Things are not what they seem at the Changoor farm, where Marlee and Dalton live. He has disappeared and Marlee has gotten a note for ransom but doesn't pay it because she doesn't care if they kill him. She asks Hans, a farm hand, to spend the nights at the farm to protect her. He leaves behind his wife Shweta and Son Krishna to do her bidding (and more!). Whose who live in the barraks in poverty are entwined with the mystery and all their lives are changed. (Dalton is killed accidentally by the twins Radra and Rustam who cover it up. The deception starts the fatal end to Krishna and his family.) Setting is so well described and I loved the characters.

I decided to read this book based on a write up in the New York Times. I liked some things about the book and other things I didn’t.

I liked reading about 1940s Trinidad. The flora and fauna is unknown to me and I looked up quite a few things. However, the book was a little too wordy for me. I skipped over some of the descriptions and prose.

The book did a good job of showing the differences between the haves and the have nots. Hans is one of the main characters and he is built up as being an honorable man until he is not. He crosses over to be with someone who has leaving behind his poor wife on the barracks.

Krishna, the son, is struggling to find his way. His father wants him to become educated as he is smart but the class difference is too much for Krishna to handle.

Everyone in this book had a sad story and the plot was rather loose. It was an okay book but not spectacular.