Alethea Lopez is about to turn 40. Fashionable, feisty and fiercely
independent, she manages a boutique in Port of Spain, but behind closed
doors she's covering up bruises from her abusive partner and seeking
solace in an affair with her boss. When she witnesses a woman murdered
by a jealous lover, the reality of her own future comes a little too
close to home.
Bringing us her truth in an arresting, unsparing Trinidadian voice,
Alethea unravels memories repressed since childhood and begins to
understand the person she has become.
Her next step is to decide the woman she wants to be.
This is an engrossing and atmospheric novel with a strong feminist
message at the heart of its page-turning plot. It explores an abusive
love-affair with searing honesty, and skilfully tackles the issue of
gender violence and racism against the lush and heady backdrop of the
national festival, and the music that feeds it. It's impossible not to
root for Alethea - she is an unforgettable heroine, trapped in ways she
is only just beginning to understand but shining with strength, resolve
and, ultimately, self-determination.