So after May in Scotland with Jackie Kay's memoir, and June in Wales with the biography of Shirley Bassey, the next Black Reading Group selection takes us to the much sunnier climes of the Caribbean island of Trinidad. Shortlisted for the 2010 Orange Prize, The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey is set initially in the 1950s and takes us through to more contemporary times.
The Black Reading Group will meet on Sunday 31 July in Waterstone's Piccadilly branch, on the 5th floor. This month's meeting is a joint event with the London African-Caribbean Book Club.
About the book
When George and Sabine Harwood arrive in Trinidad from England George instantly takes to their new life, but Sabine feels isolated, heat-fatigued, and ill at ease with the racial segregation and the imminent dawning of a new era. Her only solace is her growing fixation with Eric Williams, the charismatic leader of Trinidad's new national party, to whom she pours out all her hopes and fears for the future in letters that she never brings herself to send. As the years progress, George and Sabine's marriage endures for better or worse. When George discovers Sabine's cache of letters, he realise jus how many secrets she's kept from him - and he from her - over the decades. And he is seized by an urgent desperate need to prove his love for her, with tragic consequences…
The White Woman on the Green Bicycle is set over fifty years in Trinidad, from the vibrant post-war optimism of the mid-1950s, when the country was on the verge of gaining independence, to a much bleaker period at the turn of the twenty-first century, where gang-relation violence and murder happen on the streets every day. With real-life characters, a love story for the ages and a vivid backdrop - at times magical; at times exquisite; at times dangerous - this is a deeply moving and unforgettable read.
About the author
This biography is taken from Monique's own website.
I’m a writer, born in Trinidad, based in London. I own two passports and like to travel back home to Trinidad as often as possible. Apart from researching and writing books, I teach Creative Writing in the UK and Trinidad, also in Cuba and Greece. I have published two novels and a memoir, edited an anthology of short stories, The Global Village, for Tell Tales, and published some short stories and even a poem. I write every day and see it more as a way of life than a job.
In the past, (2002–2006) I used to be a Centre Director for The Arvon Foundation, running Totleigh Barton, their writing centre in Devon — a job I enjoyed very much. From 2006–2009, I held two posts with the The Royal Literary Fund, at Sussex and Chichester Universities.
In 2010, my second novel, The White Woman on the Green Bicycle (Simon and Schuster UK) was shortlisted for the Orange Prize; it was also short-listed for the Encore Award in 2011. It has been hailed as part of a New Wave of fiction emerging from the Caribbean and I consider myself just one of a whole new generation of authors now coming of age and writing about the region. The White Woman on the Green Bicycle has since sold in the USA, Australia and Europe.
What they say about the book
Simon Lee
"Compelling and original. A bruised, sensuous love-letter to Trinidad"
Maggie Gee
"Monique Roffey is a writer of verve, vibrancy and compassion, and her work is always a joy to read."
Sarah Hall
"Boundless in its understanding of the human spirit. It will resonate with readers everywhere."
Olive Senior
"… Roffey's story of an English couple who move to Trinidad..., it's a book that hasn't had a lot of attention but is a fantastically good read. It's a sexy book."
Daisy Godwin Orange Prize judge (2010)
“It is a major contribution to the New Wave of Caribbean Writing... breaks entirely new ground“
Olive Senior
Reviews
An article about the book from The Guardian (the London one)
Also from The (London) Guardian: Orange Prize shortlist: review
Financial Times
Blogs: Lizzy Siddal Other Stories
Initial thoughts
I'm not usually a re-reader of books, but this option means that I shall be re-reading WWOTGB a year after I first read it. This was what was on my mind at that time: Black Book News I wonder if I shall enjoy reading it more a second time.
WWOTGB was nominated for the Orange Prize last year and while it is officially fiction, it felt to me more like a memoir in places, as it moves between the author, Monique Roffey's own history - the main characters are based upon her parents, (I went to see her at the 2010 Stoke Newington Lit Fest and she talked about this then), and the history of the island itself, during the critical early years of independence in Trinidad.
Certainly I now feel that it's a memorable read, and look forward to discussing it at book club. While it might feel a cliche on this blog to say 'I look forward to more from Monique', I can actually tell you that her new book arrived yesterday (With the Kisses of His Mouth) and I am already 50 pages in, as she does write in such a moving and wonderful way, but the new book is nothing like WWOTGB.
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