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A review by rociog
A Brighter Sun by Sam Selvon
3.0
Set in Trinidad and Tobago during the Second World War, this novel aims both at painting a general picture of the economic, social and political facts of life of the time and period while also telling a smaller more intimate story about a handful of its residents in a forgotten village not far from Port of Spain. The jump from general to particular is ongoing and is not always handled smoothly. The narrative that follows Tiger and Urmilla -a young Indian couple- and Rita and Joe- their creole neighbours- is stopped in its tracks often to make room for statements about policy, building projects and rationing. I found the clear difference in tone, intent and narrative voice in these transitions a bit jarring.
The part that focuses on the more insular narrative, however, I found very compelling. Selvon expertly inmerses the reader into the world of these characters through the use of dialect and colorful description that bring to life a Caribbean full of sound, smell, rum, hard work and careless violence. In this sense the novel is reminiscent of García Márquez' stories of the Colombian Caribbean.
I particularly liked the way in which Selvon repeatedly calls attention to the sun and the living earth as the constants of the life of these characters, compelling them to action, providing comfort, meaning,joy.
"The sun spun crazily in the sky, like it had gone mad. It burned him. It had been burning ever since he could remember. But he loved it, because everything looked good when it was shining." (p.168)
The part that focuses on the more insular narrative, however, I found very compelling. Selvon expertly inmerses the reader into the world of these characters through the use of dialect and colorful description that bring to life a Caribbean full of sound, smell, rum, hard work and careless violence. In this sense the novel is reminiscent of García Márquez' stories of the Colombian Caribbean.
I particularly liked the way in which Selvon repeatedly calls attention to the sun and the living earth as the constants of the life of these characters, compelling them to action, providing comfort, meaning,joy.
"The sun spun crazily in the sky, like it had gone mad. It burned him. It had been burning ever since he could remember. But he loved it, because everything looked good when it was shining." (p.168)