Interesting to read of the history of Trinidad. The characters were not really very gripping.

Trinidad

A tad over-long, but much to chew on the whys and wherefores around the misery of the central protagonist.

Memorable also for an insight into Trinidadian history, culture, and the book’s didactic success in introducing me to, and becoming familiar with, the word “steupsed”.

A mixed read. The second half, told from the perspective of Sabine, is really interesting. However, at the end I was left feeling a little unsure how the two halves connect.

I was interested in the cultural and political backdrop of Trinidad, a place that I previously knew nothing about. I liked that the island herself was a character in the story. But the human main characters were almost unbearable; capricious, selfish, moody, codependent, completely consumed by their desires, each violent in their own ways. And the structure is jarring; the first half of the novel takes place after the second half, which makes you anticipate some big reveal at the end which would've precipitated the events that happened at the beginning, but the actual reveal is very anticlimactic. So that makes you wonder why the author chose to break the chronology at all.

The pacing and chronology of this book did not sit well with me. The story itself was solid, and the imagery beautiful, but the order in which parts of the plot were revealed did not make much sense to me. Additionally, I had a difficult time connecting with any of the characters.
No doubt the myriad of topics covered in this book would make for a good book club discussion, and it did have me thinking myself.

Enjoyed it. The first half, written from the husband's perspective was slow. But I really enjoyed the second half, from Sabine's perspective.

An enjoyable read, telling a story of life in Trinidad. The characters could've had a bit more to them, and maybe developed a bit more in the book, but all in all it was an enjoyable book that I found hard to put down.

This book set in Trinidad resonated deeply within me. I could relate to the emotional tension of the protagonist as she and her husband lived as privileged expats in a developing nation. The protagonist felt outrage towards the corruption and inequality around her, profound compassion for people suffering, a simultaneous aversion and affinity for an unknown culture, and an undeniable apartness and inescapable guilt rooted in racial and economic chasms. This book was short-listed for the Orange Prize, and I see why. It was one of the most engaging books I have read in some time.