Tide Running Book

Even though this novel is a challenge due primarily to the tough Caribbean dialect that dominates the narrative voice, the story possesses a raw beauty, and it addresses harsh truths about society and class. The central plot explores the limits to which love, lust, and trust can be stretched. The story begins with lavish descriptions of Tobago and the sea. We meet Cliff Dunstan and his close-knit family as they struggle daily to get by in one of Plymouth's rougher neighborhoods. In particular, Cliff's mother and older sister are trying to keep Cliff and his brother Ossi from gravitating towards trouble. When the boys befriend Peter and Bella, a wealthy Trinidadian couple with a vacation home on Tobago, the reality of everyday adversity is temporarily forgotten as the brothers are invited into their home. Attractions soon flare, and the couple invites Cliff to enter a mutual love triangle with them. At this point, all walls between them are torn down. What is at risk? How much trust can be offered? Before long, the couple notices money disappearing. Next, their car is stolen, only to find it strangely returned. Is Cliff to blame? To what extent does his upbringing or the environment mold who he is? When two worlds of great difference collide, who is left intact and who in pieces? Kempadoo expertly brings up a multitude of eye-opening issues, as she probes the intricacy of her characters' lives. My only criticism with this book is Kempadoo's decision to employ a prose style that relied exclusively on dialect and patois phrasings. I was engrossed in the relationships and events, but I wanted to gain more momentum with the text and story. Instead, I had to read very slowly and reread certain sections to gain meaning. The many perspectives and voices also demand close attention to detail. Nonetheless, this novel has a hypnotic effect in how it is rooted in the authenticity of culture and life. The ending is particularly heartfelt with the emotions it generates.