Set in 1961 Barbados, this novel centers on how the self-governing colony is ruled by a Labor” party while the sugar estate workers wonder whether slavery has ever ended. Raging against the White” alliance of the landowning class, the church, and their Black supporters, this story lashes out at ignorance, self-deception, and pusillanimity. Revealing an acerbic comedy of status, play-acting, and double-dealing in the villagea microcosm of the self-interested activities of the nation’s political classthis bleak tale of absurdity highlights the controversial issues of race and racism.
