The Island Quintet - Raymond Ramcharitar

In four short stories and a novella that convey a complex vision of the Caribbean, this breakthrough collection is written with a profound and disturbed sense of the history that shapes the region and rejects all serene and sentimental images of the islands and its people. Imaginatively and honestly presenting how human relations have become distorted as a result of the class and racial divides wrought by colonialism, these acerbic narratives create highly fragmented but authentic characters who are driven to test both their boundaries and their personal identities. Emphasizing the urbanized population of Trinidad, especially its trendsetters, these stories also explore how sexual transgression can be viewed as a commentary on a society's fundamental character, a topic about which many past Caribbean novelists have generally maintained a discreet silence. Decidedly ambitious and contemporary, these edgy and unrestrained tales explore the deepest issues regarding island existence.