Clement B. G. London

Men of Sullivan Trace Clement B. G. London

When two cousins decide to leave their sleepy Caribbean island homes, they choose an unconventional destination-the isolated community of Sullivan Trace in rural Trinidad. Here they find a welcome, plenty of work, and the promise of a new life. Later, questions arise about one of the newcomers, Erreipal Vincent. Haven't his family members become too well off for the Trace? Shouldn't they move on, and join his sister-in-law in Canada? Erreipal's friend, Xinam Lately, fails to convince the family to stay with him in Trinidad, and Erreipal is left alone, an eccentric man, viewed by the community as a tainted figure. Finally, he breaks with Xinam in an unusual turn of events in a cemetery. The aftermath is tinged with tragedy. Part novel, part social study, Dr. London's beautifully descriptive story sheds light on a little-known aspect of inter-island immigration in the 1950s. He shows how a small community can have wider parallels in the world outside, and how closely a man's identity can reside with that community, even if it is a tiny village like Sullivan Trace. His story is to be welcomed by all those interested in immigration and colonialism, by lovers of the Caribbean, and by students of humanity everywhere.