![]() ![]() But in a capital city awash with change, a black woman is still treated as a second-class citizen. Taking along her younger sister, she flees their hometown to forge a new life in Kingston. Gloria's pithy input on this strikes hard, and sharpens Pao's grasp of the fundamental divisions of class, race and cultural identity that define all their lives. Gloria Campbell is sixteen years old when a single violent act alters the course of her life forever. And he strives to defend the generosity of spirit of his shadowy business decisions, which makes an interesting ethical thread on its own. Pao assiduously builds alliances with Fay's mother, sister, priest and maid in increasingly desperate attempts to secure his marriage. The gangland skirmishes and police chicanery keep the plot ticking over, but are just a backdrop to the progress of Pao's personal relationships.Īnd there's no shortage of material there: Pao's philosophical approach to problem solving is sorely tried by Fay's efforts to extract herself from his fiefdom, and wrangling over children vexes all parties. ![]() Similarly, the mechanics of how Pao's empire operates – in the pink in one chapter and short of cash a few pages later – are vague – often unconvincingly so, which is one of this novel's few flaws. ![]() Murder, corruption, blackmail, kidnap and incest drive the narrative, but Young keeps much of the gory detail offstage, or muted in report. ![]()
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