The House in Bacolet

The House in Bacolet (Peepal Tree Press), the debut novel by T&T-born David Lambert, is both an intimate portrait of a marriage and a compelling exploration of cultural difference, set in the contemporary Caribbean. It opens with a British couple, Hugh and Julia, arriving in Tobago, having bought a former church to convert into a residence. They quickly become entangled with — and increasingly dependent on — a friendly local. But the lasting consequences of a violent colonial history are impossible to escape, and despite their genuine good intentions, Hugh and Julia learn how the sins of the past shape the realities of the present.