14.07.26
I liked this book more than the Trinidad Tourist Office probably does, and more than I should when the author had to justify some of her narrative choices in an endnote. It did a good job of juxtaposing Trinidad's violence and poverty with its aspiration and luxury, and managed to stay engaging despite having so few sympathetic characters.
12.11.23
This was an engaging family saga, and the historical and cultural details gave it an extra layer of interest. It was a shame, then, that most of the characters seemed only to be there as cyphers, and that several elements of the plot were either unconvincing or just didn't make sense. And there was a weird sense of mythical history about events that only took place 50 years ago. So, as usual, more editing might have moved it towards the 'Masterful' promised on the cover but it remains a reasonable read.
