Genres
Publication
SJP for Hogarth (2019), 288 pages
Description
A deeply affecting debut novel set in Trinidad, following the lives of a family as they navigate impossible choices about scarcity, loyalty, and love WINNER OF THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE * "Golden Child is a stunning novel written with force and beauty. Though true to herself, Adam's work stands tall beside icons of her tradition like V.S. Naipaul."--Jennifer Clement, author of Gun Love Rural Trinidad: a brick house on stilts surrounded by bush; a family, quietly surviving, just trying to live a decent life. Clyde, the father, works long, exhausting shifts at the petroleum plant in southern Trinidad; Joy, his wife, looks after the home. Their two sons, thirteen years old, wake early every morning to travel to the capital, Port of Spain, for school. They are twins but nothing alike: Paul has always been considered odd, while Peter is widely believed to be a genius, destined for greatness. When Paul goes walking in the bush one afternoon and doesn't come home, Clyde is forced to go looking for him, this child who has caused him endless trouble already, and who he has never really understood. And as the hours turn to days, and Clyde begins to understand Paul's fate, his world shatters--leaving him faced with a decision no parent should ever have to make. Like the Trinidadian landscape itself, Golden Child is both beautiful and unsettling, a resoundingly human story of aspiration, betrayal, and love. Praise for Golden Child "In fluid and uncluttered prose, Golden Child weaves an enveloping portrait of an insular social order in which the claustrophobic support of family and neighbors coexists with an omnipresent threat from the same corners."--The New York Times Book Review "[A] powerful debut . . . a devastating family portrait--and a fascinating window into Trinidadian society."--People "[An] emotionally potent debut novel . . . with a spare, evocative style, Adam (a Trinidad native) evokes the island's complexity during the mid-'80s, when the novel is mostly set: the tenuous relationship between Hindus like Clyde's family and the twins' Catholic schoolmaster, assassinations and abductions hyped by lurid media headlines, resources that attract carpetbagging oil companies but leave the country largely impoverished."--USA Today… (more)
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LibraryThing member Othemts
The Golden Child is a family drama set in rural Trinidad. The Deyalsingh family, Trinidadians of Indian heritage, are Clyde and Joy, and their twin 13-year-old sons Peter and Paul. Peter is the "golden child" of the title, academically gifted, and Clyde saves all the family's money for his future,
Despite the title, Paul is the main focus of the novel. He is believed to be "slightly retarded" due to loss of oxygen to his brain at birth. But over the novel it is revealed that he is a kind child with many hidden talents, and most likely has learning disabilities, although this is never specifically stated. The novel begins with Paul going missing, and then flashes back on the previous 13 years of the family from various points of view. When we return to the present day timeline, Paul is facing a very real threat and Clyde is faced with difficult choice.
Adam does well at developing the characters and family dynamics, as well as showing everyday Trinidadian culture. But this is also a grim and disheartening book, so don't pick it up for light reading.
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despite his wife's desire to move to the city or to improve the house they live in. Despite the title, Paul is the main focus of the novel. He is believed to be "slightly retarded" due to loss of oxygen to his brain at birth. But over the novel it is revealed that he is a kind child with many hidden talents, and most likely has learning disabilities, although this is never specifically stated. The novel begins with Paul going missing, and then flashes back on the previous 13 years of the family from various points of view. When we return to the present day timeline, Paul is facing a very real threat and Clyde is faced with difficult choice.
Adam does well at developing the characters and family dynamics, as well as showing everyday Trinidadian culture. But this is also a grim and disheartening book, so don't pick it up for light reading.
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LibraryThing member teachlz
Lindas Book Obsession Review for “Golden Child” by Claire Adam Published by SJP for Hogarth, an imprint by Crown Publishing Group, January 29,2019
Claire Adam, Author of “Golden Child” has written an intense, heart-breaking, emotional, riveting, captivating, and suspenseful novel that takes
The author vividly describes both the poor and rich sides of Trinidad. Symbolically there are elements of good and evil, and jealousy and betrayal that is devastating. In Rural Trinidad, Clyde, and his wife Joy live a simple life. They live near the bush, and often go without water. The happiness in their life is when they have twin sons. Peter and Paul are born, and their family surrounds and helps them. Peter seems to be the “good” baby and Paul is “fussy” and has more problems. As they grow up, Peter is extremely smart and called a genius. Paul has a knack for getting into trouble, and causing his parents to worry on more than one occasion. Joy wants both boys kept together in school so Peter can keep an eye out for Paul.
Paul goes walking in the bush one day and never returns. The family is devastated. Clyde is given news that crushes him. Clyde has to make sacrifices and choices. No father should ever be presented with such decisions. I would highly recommend this novel for those readers who enjoy an intense, and emotional story.
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PUBLISHED BY LINDASBOOKOBSESSION
Claire Adam, Author of “Golden Child” has written an intense, heart-breaking, emotional, riveting, captivating, and suspenseful novel that takes
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place mostly in Trinidad. The Genres for this novel are Fiction, with a touch of Historical Fiction, and Suspense. Sarah Jessica Parker has chosen “The Golden Child” as one of her picks, as she likes “bringing stories from far away closer” The author describes her characters as complex and complicated, perhaps due to the circumstances.The author vividly describes both the poor and rich sides of Trinidad. Symbolically there are elements of good and evil, and jealousy and betrayal that is devastating. In Rural Trinidad, Clyde, and his wife Joy live a simple life. They live near the bush, and often go without water. The happiness in their life is when they have twin sons. Peter and Paul are born, and their family surrounds and helps them. Peter seems to be the “good” baby and Paul is “fussy” and has more problems. As they grow up, Peter is extremely smart and called a genius. Paul has a knack for getting into trouble, and causing his parents to worry on more than one occasion. Joy wants both boys kept together in school so Peter can keep an eye out for Paul.
Paul goes walking in the bush one day and never returns. The family is devastated. Clyde is given news that crushes him. Clyde has to make sacrifices and choices. No father should ever be presented with such decisions. I would highly recommend this novel for those readers who enjoy an intense, and emotional story.
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PUBLISHED BY LINDASBOOKOBSESSION
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LibraryThing member Beamis12
Myths of family, something a family!y strongly believes which allows them to act and to make the decisions they feel are right. The Deyalsinghs of Trinidad, both Joy and Clyde the descendants of Indian immigrants, have two sons, teins Peter and Paul. Though they love both Paul is considered slow
Claire Adams, our suthir, was born in Trinidad so it is not surprising that her descriptions of the area, the food, the political climate and family dynamics are so ably portrayed. In this book a very important decision has to be made, one no parent would have to make, but what leads up to this decision is the Crux of the novel. We gain a keen insight into not only the characters, but also the way this family lives and how their relationships are formed.
One knows they have been strongly pulled into a book when one finishes the book, and it leaves them both sad and angry. It also refuses to leave my mind, as I as a parent so strongly disagree with some of the actions within and the decision made. Enough said, read it for yourself and see how you feel and what you think about what you read.
ARC from Edelweiss
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due to deprivation of oxygen at birth. Peter is the gollden child, the smart one, headed for success. When the book opens a teenage Paul is not to be found. Claire Adams, our suthir, was born in Trinidad so it is not surprising that her descriptions of the area, the food, the political climate and family dynamics are so ably portrayed. In this book a very important decision has to be made, one no parent would have to make, but what leads up to this decision is the Crux of the novel. We gain a keen insight into not only the characters, but also the way this family lives and how their relationships are formed.
One knows they have been strongly pulled into a book when one finishes the book, and it leaves them both sad and angry. It also refuses to leave my mind, as I as a parent so strongly disagree with some of the actions within and the decision made. Enough said, read it for yourself and see how you feel and what you think about what you read.
ARC from Edelweiss
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LibraryThing member whitreidtan
If you're a parent of more than one child, you have probably told at least one of your children that you don't have a favorite. But what if you did? What if one of your children has a potential that you don't see in another one? What if that child could get out of a bad or poor or dead-end
Clyde and Joy have twin thirteen year old sons named Peter and Paul. One night Paul, who has always been the less obedient, less present of the twins, doesn't come home. Angry and worried, his father stays up all night thinking on the trouble, large and small, this child has caused, planning how he wants to react when Paul finally does reappear. Except Paul doesn't reappear. The narrative then flips back in time to the birth of the boys. Peter's delivery is uncomplicated and easy while Paul was deprived of oxygen and the best guesses of the medical professionals witnessing his birth is that something is wrong with the baby. And so he grows up hearing that he is "slightly retarded," always knowing that Peter is incredibly smart, that Peter is something special, and is only held back because twins should stay together. Paul, meanwhile, struggles with school and with his image of himself, both in the shadow of his brother, who is always kind and caring with him, but also under the cloud of others' low expectations of his intelligence. Everything must be done to make sure that Peter reaches his potential; Paul's struggles are incidental. Their parents love both the boys but they cannot hide their loftier dreams for Peter as the boys grow. Then the narrative shifts once again to the days immediately following Paul's disappearance, showing not only what happened that night and those afterward, but also Clyde and Joy's decisions in the wake of this horrible situation.
The story is devastating on many levels, from the setting of crime ridden Trinidad to the familial jealousy and betrayal that drives the action. Adam has drawn a corrupt and scary Trinidad, a place rife with gossip, dangerous in what is said publicly, but also a place where people come together to try and offer help. She has captured the underhanded anger over inherited money and the strife it causes within a family if it is not seen to be shared evenly. The knowledge of the way society and politics work in this small island nation is eye opening, leaving no doubt that the book must end the way it does. As for the aptly named Peter and Paul, like their Biblical namesakes, they are each martyred in their own ways. The book is heavy and hard but it is exquisitely done. The framing structure of the novel makes the rising tension slacken at times, going from the worry of a missing child out all night to the day of their birth, but this is also an effective way of showing the reader the backstory on Clyde's perception of both of his sons. The third person narrative switches amongst Clyde, Paul, and Father Kavanagh, giving only a limited view of the family as a whole but this also effectively, narrowly focuses the story on a father facing an impossible choice, the gentle but unfavored child, and an outsider who tries but does not (can not?) understand. Most of the secondary characters are drawn very faintly, used primarily to show the deep and dangerous corruption in Trinidad except Father Kavanagh who seems mostly to be in the story to try and make Clyde see Paul differently and to be told exactly why Clyde's perception will never change. A novel of complex and tangled family dynamics, this is a heartbreaking story that will stay with the reader long after the last page has been turned.
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situation, could excel? How much would you do for that child? What kind of sacrifice would you make? Could you, would you, make a Sophie's choice, sacrifice Beloved, be Abraham in the face of something larger than just your own wants and needs? Claire Adam has written just such a story in her novel Golden Child.Clyde and Joy have twin thirteen year old sons named Peter and Paul. One night Paul, who has always been the less obedient, less present of the twins, doesn't come home. Angry and worried, his father stays up all night thinking on the trouble, large and small, this child has caused, planning how he wants to react when Paul finally does reappear. Except Paul doesn't reappear. The narrative then flips back in time to the birth of the boys. Peter's delivery is uncomplicated and easy while Paul was deprived of oxygen and the best guesses of the medical professionals witnessing his birth is that something is wrong with the baby. And so he grows up hearing that he is "slightly retarded," always knowing that Peter is incredibly smart, that Peter is something special, and is only held back because twins should stay together. Paul, meanwhile, struggles with school and with his image of himself, both in the shadow of his brother, who is always kind and caring with him, but also under the cloud of others' low expectations of his intelligence. Everything must be done to make sure that Peter reaches his potential; Paul's struggles are incidental. Their parents love both the boys but they cannot hide their loftier dreams for Peter as the boys grow. Then the narrative shifts once again to the days immediately following Paul's disappearance, showing not only what happened that night and those afterward, but also Clyde and Joy's decisions in the wake of this horrible situation.
The story is devastating on many levels, from the setting of crime ridden Trinidad to the familial jealousy and betrayal that drives the action. Adam has drawn a corrupt and scary Trinidad, a place rife with gossip, dangerous in what is said publicly, but also a place where people come together to try and offer help. She has captured the underhanded anger over inherited money and the strife it causes within a family if it is not seen to be shared evenly. The knowledge of the way society and politics work in this small island nation is eye opening, leaving no doubt that the book must end the way it does. As for the aptly named Peter and Paul, like their Biblical namesakes, they are each martyred in their own ways. The book is heavy and hard but it is exquisitely done. The framing structure of the novel makes the rising tension slacken at times, going from the worry of a missing child out all night to the day of their birth, but this is also an effective way of showing the reader the backstory on Clyde's perception of both of his sons. The third person narrative switches amongst Clyde, Paul, and Father Kavanagh, giving only a limited view of the family as a whole but this also effectively, narrowly focuses the story on a father facing an impossible choice, the gentle but unfavored child, and an outsider who tries but does not (can not?) understand. Most of the secondary characters are drawn very faintly, used primarily to show the deep and dangerous corruption in Trinidad except Father Kavanagh who seems mostly to be in the story to try and make Clyde see Paul differently and to be told exactly why Clyde's perception will never change. A novel of complex and tangled family dynamics, this is a heartbreaking story that will stay with the reader long after the last page has been turned.
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LibraryThing member bookchickdi
Actress Sarah Jessica Parker's first book from her SJP Hogarth imprint at Penguin Random House is the brilliant debut novel by Fatima Farheen Mirza, A Place For Us. The second book from her imprint is also a debut novel, Golden Child, by Claire Adam, and it is another fantastic novel.
Set in
Peter is a brilliant young man, and his parents are very proud of him and hope to be able to send him to a good college. When the boys were born, the cord was wrapped around Paul's neck and it has resulted in him being considered mentally challenged by many.
Joy's brother Vishnu believes that Peter could do great things and encourages Clyde to support Peter, even giving him money to do so. Father Kavanagh from the boys' school does not believe that Paul is mentally challenged and is tutoring him.
One day Paul leaves home to go for a walk and doesn't come back. Did Paul wander off and get lost, did he run away, or has something nefarious happened to him, perhaps related to the recent incident when two men came into their home and robbed and tied up Joy, Peter and Paul?
Much of the book takes place as Clyde tries to discover what has happened to his son. Clyde has always been a strong husband and father, and has worked hard to make a good life for his family. As he pieces together what has happened to Paul, he is forced to confront an unimaginable choice, one that puts him at odds with his family.
Golden Child immerses the reader in the countryside of Trinidad. We meet the neighbors and family of the Deyalsinghs. The homes all have dogs and barred windows to protect them, and in the wealthier neighborhoods, (including where Joy's brother Philip, a judge, lives) security guards on site.
The reader senses the undercurrent of danger that surrounds them, where at any moment they may be accosted by someone looking for money.
There are some wonderful food passages here as well. Joy makes a simple dinner for Clyde of "melongene choka, with plenty of onion and garlic, the way he likes it, some cucumber salad, and some warm paratha roti wrapped up in dishcloth."
Clyde eats at the work canteen, "where they have all kinds of food: dhalpuri roti and buss-up-shut, chicken wings and drumsticks, pelau, corn-soup, callaloo." You'll definitely want to look all these dishes up online.
SJP has done it again with Claire Adams' Golden Child- found a debut novel with a brilliant distinctive voice, one that takes the reader into a culture they may not be familiar with, yet deals with universal theme of what it means to be part of a family, and the joy and heartbreak that can bring. I highly recommend it.
Set in
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Trinidad, we meet Clyde Deyalsingh, a hardworking man, and his wife Joy. They have twin thirteen year-old boys, Peter and Paul, and live in a modest home that they own in a rural area. The boys travel a long way daily to their Catholic school.Peter is a brilliant young man, and his parents are very proud of him and hope to be able to send him to a good college. When the boys were born, the cord was wrapped around Paul's neck and it has resulted in him being considered mentally challenged by many.
Joy's brother Vishnu believes that Peter could do great things and encourages Clyde to support Peter, even giving him money to do so. Father Kavanagh from the boys' school does not believe that Paul is mentally challenged and is tutoring him.
One day Paul leaves home to go for a walk and doesn't come back. Did Paul wander off and get lost, did he run away, or has something nefarious happened to him, perhaps related to the recent incident when two men came into their home and robbed and tied up Joy, Peter and Paul?
Much of the book takes place as Clyde tries to discover what has happened to his son. Clyde has always been a strong husband and father, and has worked hard to make a good life for his family. As he pieces together what has happened to Paul, he is forced to confront an unimaginable choice, one that puts him at odds with his family.
Golden Child immerses the reader in the countryside of Trinidad. We meet the neighbors and family of the Deyalsinghs. The homes all have dogs and barred windows to protect them, and in the wealthier neighborhoods, (including where Joy's brother Philip, a judge, lives) security guards on site.
The reader senses the undercurrent of danger that surrounds them, where at any moment they may be accosted by someone looking for money.
There are some wonderful food passages here as well. Joy makes a simple dinner for Clyde of "melongene choka, with plenty of onion and garlic, the way he likes it, some cucumber salad, and some warm paratha roti wrapped up in dishcloth."
Clyde eats at the work canteen, "where they have all kinds of food: dhalpuri roti and buss-up-shut, chicken wings and drumsticks, pelau, corn-soup, callaloo." You'll definitely want to look all these dishes up online.
SJP has done it again with Claire Adams' Golden Child- found a debut novel with a brilliant distinctive voice, one that takes the reader into a culture they may not be familiar with, yet deals with universal theme of what it means to be part of a family, and the joy and heartbreak that can bring. I highly recommend it.
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LibraryThing member Dianekeenoy
This book will break your heart.
LibraryThing member GirlWellRead
A special thank you to NetGalley, Crown Publishing, and SJP for Hogarth for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This deeply affecting novel is set in rural Trinidad. We follow the lives of a family that is trying to make their way with little by way of resources. They live in a brick house on
Although they are twins, the boys are vastly different—Paul was deprived of oxygen at birth and is considered to be developmentally delayed, while his brother, Peter is thought to be a genius destined for greatness.
One afternoon Paul doesn't return home. Clyde sets out on a search for the missing boy who has always caused him trouble. As the days pile up, Paul's fate becomes apparent, and Clyde is faced with making a gut-wrenching, unimaginable decision. This story is not for the feint of heart. Although it is set against a beautiful backdrop, this novel will shake you to the very core.
People are either going to love Adam's debut, or be too outraged with the outcome. I happen to fall into the latter. For me the book was an example of toxic masculinity that the author juxtaposes against a beautiful setting. Trinidad comes to life on the page and becomes one of the only likeable things.
Told mostly from Clyde's perspective, there is a complete lack of growth and trajectory, and you can figure out where the plot is headed fairly quickly. There's really not much of a story and what little there is, is lacking in character development. I wanted more of the twins—they are perfect opposites, two halves of a whole.
As mentioned, the ending is devastating, detached, and abrupt. Given the length of the story, there was certainly room to flesh out the characters and explore more depth of the plot.
This deeply affecting novel is set in rural Trinidad. We follow the lives of a family that is trying to make their way with little by way of resources. They live in a brick house on
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stilts that was built by hand and is surrounded by bush. Clyde, the man of the house, works shifts at the petroleum plant and spends long hours away from his wife, Joy, and their thirteen-year-old twins. The boys must rise early every day to attend school in the capital, Port of Spain.Although they are twins, the boys are vastly different—Paul was deprived of oxygen at birth and is considered to be developmentally delayed, while his brother, Peter is thought to be a genius destined for greatness.
One afternoon Paul doesn't return home. Clyde sets out on a search for the missing boy who has always caused him trouble. As the days pile up, Paul's fate becomes apparent, and Clyde is faced with making a gut-wrenching, unimaginable decision. This story is not for the feint of heart. Although it is set against a beautiful backdrop, this novel will shake you to the very core.
People are either going to love Adam's debut, or be too outraged with the outcome. I happen to fall into the latter. For me the book was an example of toxic masculinity that the author juxtaposes against a beautiful setting. Trinidad comes to life on the page and becomes one of the only likeable things.
Told mostly from Clyde's perspective, there is a complete lack of growth and trajectory, and you can figure out where the plot is headed fairly quickly. There's really not much of a story and what little there is, is lacking in character development. I wanted more of the twins—they are perfect opposites, two halves of a whole.
As mentioned, the ending is devastating, detached, and abrupt. Given the length of the story, there was certainly room to flesh out the characters and explore more depth of the plot.
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LibraryThing member hes7
In her debut novel, Claire Adam helps readers to experience life in rural Trinidad. Her writing fosters a strong sense of place and community as the drama unfolds and exquisitely tells a story unlike any other.
Golden Child centers around a struggling family—Clyde, Joy, and twin thirteen-year-old
If you enjoy literary fiction, a Caribbean setting, or dysfunctional families, definitely check out Golden Child. It is one story that I am sure I will not soon forget.
Thanks to TLC Book Tours, I received a complimentary copy of Golden Child and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.
Golden Child centers around a struggling family—Clyde, Joy, and twin thirteen-year-old
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boys, Peter and Paul. One day, Paul does not come home, and as Clyde searches for him, the narrative delves into their complicated family dynamics colored by favoritism, along with elements of mystery, betrayal, corruption, resilience, and impossible decisions. It moves slowly, but with a compelling intensity, and ultimately, broke my heart at the outcome.If you enjoy literary fiction, a Caribbean setting, or dysfunctional families, definitely check out Golden Child. It is one story that I am sure I will not soon forget.
Thanks to TLC Book Tours, I received a complimentary copy of Golden Child and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.
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LibraryThing member lostinalibrary
Set in rural Trinidad, Golden Child, the debut novel by author Claire Adams tells the story of Clyde, Joy and their thirteen-year-old twin boys, Peter and Paul. Peter excels at school and is considered a genius by the family and his teachers. The family have placed all their hopes and dreams in him
I enjoyed this book quite a bit right up until the end. I finished it several weeks ago and I am still not sure how I feel about the ending. Being a parent is hard and we are faced with seemingly impossible decisions constantly but...well, all I can say, read the book and decide for yourself if you think Clyde made the right decision.
Thanks to Netgalley and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
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and have put money aside for his education. Paul, who was deprived of oxygen at birth, is considered slow by everyone from his parents to his teachers and has been seen as a source of trouble for the family since his birth. Then, one night, Paul, this troublesome child, goes out late and doesn't return. When a ransom note is received, the family is faced with an impossible decision. I enjoyed this book quite a bit right up until the end. I finished it several weeks ago and I am still not sure how I feel about the ending. Being a parent is hard and we are faced with seemingly impossible decisions constantly but...well, all I can say, read the book and decide for yourself if you think Clyde made the right decision.
Thanks to Netgalley and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
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LibraryThing member maryreinert
Set in rural Trinindad, this is a story of a family that faces a terrible decision when one of their twin sons is kidnapped and a huge ransom is required. Peter and Paul are twins but nothing alike. Peter is extremely bright; Paul is considered retarded, but it is very unclear what his real problem
The family has inherited a large sum of money but that money has been for Peter's schooling in the United States. Clyde manages to gather as much money has he can without touching that reserve, but it isn't enough. The opening chapter tells of Paul's disappearance, then we enter into the back story of their lives and the lives of the extended family. Rural Trinindad is complex and filled with opposite wealth, poverty, crime, family loyalty and family betrayal.
The descriptive nature of this book is excellent; the characters are believable, but at times there is still a sort of plodding about it. It is a sad book and I'm not at all sure about the ending.
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is. He has been constantly told he is nothing like his brother, yet his mother, Jill, makes certain that Paul has the same type of schooling that Peter has. Clyde, their father, is very frustrated with Paul and when Paul mysteriously disappears does almost all he can to get him back.The family has inherited a large sum of money but that money has been for Peter's schooling in the United States. Clyde manages to gather as much money has he can without touching that reserve, but it isn't enough. The opening chapter tells of Paul's disappearance, then we enter into the back story of their lives and the lives of the extended family. Rural Trinindad is complex and filled with opposite wealth, poverty, crime, family loyalty and family betrayal.
The descriptive nature of this book is excellent; the characters are believable, but at times there is still a sort of plodding about it. It is a sad book and I'm not at all sure about the ending.
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LibraryThing member CarrieWuj
An engrossing tale that starts with the disappearance of Paul Deyalsingh, a teen-age boy given to dreaming and wandering, unlike his studious, disciplined twin Peter. Nicknamed "Tarzan" because of his long hair, Paul has always lived in Peter's shadow - born second, with the umbilical cord wrapped
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around his neck, he was called "retarded" at birth and he and his parents have accepted this moniker as true. However, it is not and it takes the insistence of a priest at his private high school to challenge this. Paul is definitely learning-disabled, possibly dyslexic, and in the 1980s (?) rural Trinidad setting he is an enigma to all. We learn the family recently suffered a traumatic break-in despite burglar bars, watch dogs and a fence - this seems to be common for the community. When Paul doesn't come home, is it connected? It is possible he wandered off, it is possible he is out with a bad crowd, it is possible he is in trouble and it isn't until the end of the book that it is revealed and the book becomes a Sophie's Choice of impossible outcomes. Clyde, the father is hard-working, avoids trouble which in this crime-ridden, corrupt country is no easy task. The mother, Joy takes care of the house and boys and does some cooking to bring in extra needed income. They are poor, but not destitute. Peter wins a scholarship to a private high school in the distant city, but Paul must go too - Joy is adamant about keeping them together and "equal." For Peter this is a haven, but for Paul it is torture. The sacrifices the family makes to give their sons opportunity is inspiring, but also the crux of the conflict. Joy has some well-connected, successful relatives: an uncle who is a doctor, a brother who is a judge and another brother who married well, but as a result of the country's instability, these successes are no guarantee of safety or longevity. The uncle dies in a crash, the brother is murdered and the other brother sells out to the corrupt forces around him. What is so heartbreaking is that Clyde and Joy have tried so hard to do the right thing to ensure a better future for their sons, but their environment (politically and naturally) is against them. Much of the middle of the book looks at the familial relationships and gives some of Paul's point of view, and definitely delves into some of the culture of the country. "It is better to live without illusions." is Clyde's summation as he confronts the forces against him. This is an SJP (Sarah Jessica Parker) imprint at Hogarth - the latest in celebrity book supporters, which I didn't know until I finished it. I'm a little skeptical of the celebrity influence in general, but if it allows gems like this to come to light, there is a legit role for name-dropping/branding. Show Less
ISBN
0525572996 / 9780525572992