In this beautifully crafted, Rashomon-like novel, Maryse Conde has
written a gripping story imbued with all the nuances and traditions of
Caribbean culture. Francis Sancher--a handsome outsider, loved by some
and reviled by others--is found dead, face down in the mud on a path
outside Riviere au Sel, a small village in Guadeloupe. None of the
villagers are particularly surprised, since Sancher, a secretive and
melancholy man, had often predicted an unnatural death for himself. As
the villagers come to pay their respects they each--either in a speech
to the mourners, or in an internal monologue--reveal another piece of
the mystery behind Sancher's life and death. Like pieces of an elaborate
puzzle, their memories interlock to create a rich and intriguing
portrait of a man and a community. In the lush and vivid prose for which
she has become famous, Conde has constructed a Guadeloupean wake for
Francis Sancher. Retaining the full color and vibrance of Conde's
homeland, Crossing the Mangrove pays homage to Guadeloupe in both
subject and structure
"Conde writes elegantly in a style that beautifully survives translation
from the French...[she] gives readers a flavor of the French and
Creole stew that is the Guadeloupan tongue. In so doing, Conde conveys
the many subtle distinctions of color, class, and language that made up
this society".-- "Chicago Tribune"
