St. Kitts and Nevis
Novel:
A State of
Independence by Caryl Phillips (checked out from local public library; not
available in digital format)
Summary:
After winning a scholarship to study law in
England, Bertram Francis leaves the Caribbean island where he grew up. Twenty
years later, after having squandered his opportunity, Bertram returns to the island,
which has just declared its independence from Great Britain. Bertram reconnects
with his family and childhood friends, but also faces their resentment and
feelings of abandonment as he tries to discover how he can renew his life on
the island.
Response:
I found myself really disliking Bertram – he is indecisive
and completely lacks self-awareness. He’s the kind of character who, instead of
making conscious choices, believes that things just happen to him. It’s ironic,
because he comprehends that he must study in order to win the scholarship, for
example, so he studies and then he succeeds. But he loses motivation and all of
a sudden twenty years have passed. Repeatedly in the book, he makes the effort
to do something, but then he sits down to rest, and the next thing he knows, he’s
waking up and he has lost the opportunity to do what he had intended. Even at
the end of the book, when he has realized how he has failed the people around
him, and he seems ready to make a change, his state of mind is that he “wondered
if later this same day he should ask…” He can’t seem to make a decision, and he
flounders. He doesn’t know what to do, so he half-asses everything, and it’s
infuriating! He’s not a particularly sympathetic character to me, but he’s certainly
well-written and consistent.
This book is short, and it is also a quick read. Bertram’s story
nicely mirrors the political situation on the island, and the reader is left
with the sense that despite their newfound independence, neither Bertram nor the island will ever really be able to manage entirely on their own.
My husband and I at the beach in Nevis
Folklore: Folklore of the Antilles, French and English by Elsie
Clews Parsons
There are quite a few stories in this collection catalogued
under St. Kitts and Nevis. They mostly involve the trickster character Anansi,
who has roots in African folklore, as well as a colorful range of other animal
characters.
Food:
Stewed Saltfish, Spicy Plantains, and Coconut Dumplings
The finished product:
This was the very beginning of the project, and I had not
yet explored all of the possible grocery store options. I eventually found an
Asian market that sells salted fish and so I cooked with it in some of the
later dishes, but for this one, I used fresh cod and a heavy hand with the
salt.
Verdict: Delicious! The dumplings were a lot easier than I
thought they would be, although I am not a huge fan of dumplings in general
because of the texture, so I probably would not make those again. They tasted
very nice, though – I liked the coconut in them which made them more
interesting than just boiled lumps of flour. The spicy plantains were great; I
would definitely make those again someday. The fish was also good. It’s a
pretty simple ragout-style dish, and easy to make, so it’s definitely something
I would consider making again.
Cocktail:
For these islands, I chose the classic Hurricane cocktail
with three ingredients: 2 oz dark rum, 1 oz lemon juice, and 1 oz passion fruit
syrup. If you can get your hands on it, St. Kitts and Nevis has their own brand
of rum called Brinley Gold Shipwreck, which would be perfect to toast their
beautiful country.
Cheers!
