Caryl Phillips

Caryl Phillips writes with great power and beauty. Many of his books create a world in which the familiar becomes unfamiliar, as Phillips often writes from the point of view of new immigrants. Caryl Phillips latest work, "Foreigners: Three English Lives", combines three separate tales of black men in Great Britain. All three characters are based on actual individuals whose biographies are mixed by Philips with invented narration and moment.

The first novella concerns Francis Barber who show more found himself in an awkward place as both servant and friend to the 18th century English intellectual Dr. Johnson - who is best remembered as the originator of the dictionary. The second novella brings us up to the 1950's as we consider boxer Randy Turpin and his surprising defeat of the champion Sugar Ray Robinson for boxing's middleweight title in a fierce match in 1951. The third novella tracks, through multiple viewpoints and voices, the death of David Oluwale at the hands of the British police in 1968.

Caryl Phillips, by combining three disparate experiences of black men in Britain, forces us to break free from our stereotypes and look at Barber, Turpin and Oluwale as individuals. The three men are united by the color of their skin and the prejudices they experienced, but their separate and precious lives stand out as jewels on velvet. Highly recommended. show less

Emily Cartwright is a 30 year old unmarried early 19th century Englishwoman whose father sends her to an unnamed Caribbean island to check on the state of his sugar plantation. She and her maidservant board a vessel that is ill-prepared for the women, and her aide does not survive the journey. She is a modern and refined woman, mildly opposed to slavery but quite naive about the benefits it provides to her and other wealthy Englanders. She keeps a journal of her voyage and stay at the show more plantation, in order to educate other Englishwomen about the immorality of plantation society.

When she arrives at the plantation, the manager she is expecting to meet has been replaced by a boorish and brutal overseer, Arnold Brown. He is especially harsh toward Cambridge, a well educated and devoutly Christian slave who refuses to subjugate to Brown's physical and psychological mistreatments. The conflict between the men progressively escalates until it reaches its tragic conclusion.

The first 2/3 of the book consists of Emily's journal. Most of the remainder of the book is Cambridge's account of his own life and his conflict with Brown, which seems to be hastily written in his final days. The juxtaposition between the characters' views of these events is striking, and the reader is not completely sure which account, if either, is accurate. The final pages include the Court's accounts of these events, which differ from Emily's or Cambridge's narrative, and ends with a final and most unexpected twist.

The two narratives are believable and captivating. Although he probably intended it this way, Cambridge's account is somewhat rushed and harried, and the ending is a bit too abrupt. However, this was a very enjoyable novel by a gifted storyteller. show less

After a 20-year absence, Bertram Francis returns to his home in Saint Kitts on the eve of its independence. As he visits his old haunts, Bertram begins to feel like the 19-year-old he was when he left with a scholarship to study in England. He had expected the island to look different upon his return, but he wasn't prepared for the change in the attitudes of his family and friends. Bertram didn't realize he had burned so many bridges when he left. He was an outsider in England, and now he is show more an outsider in his childhood home.

There is a sense in which Saint Kitts is like the 19-year-old Bertram of twenty years ago, with hope in vague opportunities that will surely come its way with its new independent status. What will the nation look like twenty years from now? Will the tiny nation achieve any more than Bertram did with his independence? Phillips raises many questions and gives hints about his opinions, but he leaves the resolution up to his readers. show less

Caryl Phillips explores, both literally and figuratively, the transatlantic slave-trade route between Europe, Africa, and America, in The Atlantic Sound. In each of the 3 parts of the book he visits a part of 'the triangle,' Liverpool, Ghana, and Charleston, and tells the histories of these places and how they were affected by the slave trade. And he does it wonderfully!

The Atlantic Sound just sucked me in. It's one of those books you read and lose track of time, then look up an hour later show more without realizing you've been reading for more than 5 or 10 minutes. Despite the emotional subject, Caryl delivered it in a way as to make it readable, yet no less alarming, due in large part to his storytelling ability. His 'characters' jump out of the page at you, he really brought these historical figures to life.

Most important, in my opinion, is how the author's personality seeps through the pages. Witty, a bit snarky, and hopelessy pessimistic most of the time. Loved it.

The books is a riveting read, I came upon it 'randomly' and am so happy I did. 4 stars! show less