Roselle Thompson

A Woman of Destiny: a Calypso Novel Roselle Thompson

This brilliantly perceptive novel is about a young girl's quest to find her absent father and the truth about her past, in order to make sense of her present existence, amidst a variety of complex emotional highs and lows. Her cultural grounding firmly established by a strong, Grenadian matriarchy; stands her in good stead and enables her to endure life's rigors in both landscapes; (Grenada and England). The dominant, recurring motif is the prediction by her grandmother and those around her to become a Woman of Destiny - someone whose life will reflect all that the Grenadian folks want for themselves, but will be realised in the main character. Her compelling story exemplifies determination and testifies to the ongoing struggles of migrant families abroad, who had left children to be cared for at home in the Caribbean; subsequent migration of those children to 'new families' in England, and the resultant complexities experienced by all. In this Calypso Novel, the fusion of both the oral and written tradition is influenced by characteristics of the calypso lyrics - about all aspects of life; rather like Jazz music in the Jazz Novel. Here the Calypso Novel presents the various episodes in the book as reflective of the calypso. These episodes shimmer throughout the novel as songs and confirm a new generic reality within the Caribbean canon. Joanne emerges as a Woman of Destiny, who would be self-directed and more selective in aspects of her tradition; especially those she feels are relevant to her present existence.