Allahar

Through the story of Lucy a woman born of rape, this narrative sensitively explores racism, poverty and oppression in a tumultuous cosmopolitan society which, redolent of genteel pretensions and human tragedy, searches for catharsis through annual carnival abandon. Spanning 150 years from post slavery to post-colonial times, this shimmering yet gritty tale unfolds against the background of declining old cocoa and sugar plantations and gushing new oil wells in the tropical Caribbean island of Trinidad. A fascinating amalgam of history and heart-wrenching drama skilfully woven together by author Bertille David-Allahar, this novel captures the odyssey of Lucy and other women of colour, through an intimate portraiture of awakening, endurance and coming of age in a stratified island society still haunted by the shadows of slavery.