Exploring the complicated landscape of human interaction within the
walls of the offices of Essential Products Ltd., this serious yet
comedic novel offers a glimpse into 1940s Trinidad. Against the backdrop
of the often hierarchical and always complex office space, characters
negotiate issues of sexual attraction and repulsion, their attitude to
colonial rule, racial tensions, and the changing labor market of
contemporary society. Filled with rich characters and an acute but
sympathetic portrayal of a microcosm of middle- and lower-middle-class
Trinidad, this satire turns a careful eye to the disparities between the
world of the office and wider society.