Books Archive • Page 4 of 5 • Bocas Lit Fest

A biography that is also an essay critique of Antigua’s political corruption, the chokehold of tourism and the glorifying of its colonial legacy, this creative non-fiction is also a lesson in empathy.

Annie John

A coming of age story with themes that resonate well into adulthood, we find in Kincaid’s main character a portrayal of a young Antiguan woman leaning into adolescence and herself with uncertainty and urgency.

Palace of the Peacock

“The astonishing first novel Wilson Harris wrote, describing an expedition up river in Guyana, which begins as a terrifying historical conquistador expedition and gradually vaporises into a dream, itself an image of colonialism through time.” Marina Warner

The Book of Night Women

James’ powerful second novel follows Lilith, a slave girl whose coming into her own strengths mirrors the complexity of the slavery plantation and feminine power.

A Brief History of Seven Killings

Winner of the 2015 Man Booker Prize and the 2015 OCM Bocas Prize for Fiction, this expansive work is James’ third novel which explores the attempted assassination of Bob Marley, “the singer”, in Jamaica and the country’s aftermath in the 1970s and early 80s, a definitive and violent period in its history.

Beyond a Boundary

Beyond a memoir, beyond a sports commentary, James’ prolific account of cricket merges political and historical and literary genius.

The Black Jacobins

The Black Jacobins is regarded as James’ most seminal work, and perhaps one of the Caribbean’s most seminal texts. In this Marxist approach to the Haitian Revolution, he centres the narrative on the agency of the slaves who fought to overthrow the French colonial forces, led by L’Ouverture and Dessalines.

The Arrivants: Rights of Passage, Islands, Masks – A New World Trilogy

The Farming of Bones

A work of historical fiction, bringing to life the 1937 Parsley genocidal massacre in the Dominican Republic, ordered by dictator Rafael Trujillo, through the narratorial voice of Amabelle Desir, a Haitian orphan living in the DR.

Breath, Eyes, Memory

Edwidge Danticat’s first novel is a textured portrayal of the complexities of familial bonds and cultural ties, told through a young Haitian girl’s eyes, as she navigates new territories in New York, in her family and in her own identity.

The Year in San Fernando

Twelve year old Francis goes to work as a servant companion in the city of San Fernando, where he learns lessons that change his outlook on love, hope and death. This is Anthony’s first published novel.

Green Days by the River

A coming of age story about Shell, who quickly matures against the backdrop of lush Mayaro village life and learns about love, friendship and responsibility.