H. Nigel Thomas

It is a testament to Spirits in the Dark that, up until more than halfway through the book, I didn’t know that its setting—Isabella Island—was fictional. I learned this when I tried to find it on a map and couldn’t; confused, I thought maybe it was the older name of an island that was recently renamed. It was only when I found somebody’s college thesis that mentioned “Thomas’s fictional Isabella” in passing that I realized how thoroughly the environment of this novel had been show more considered.

It’s inspired, no doubt, by St. Vincent, where H. Nigel Thomas was born and raised. The two share the same size, colonial history, and geographical position (though Isabella seems to be shifted slightly southward, closer to Trinidad). We get an incredibly deep picture of Isabella’s history, economy, culture, religion, and racial makeup, conveyed so naturally through our protagonist Jerome.

He’s a challenging, complicated figure. Haughty, cold, intelligent, and—more than anything—terrified. Terrified to connect with people, terrified to have sex, terrified to embrace his culture and heritage, terrified to love. In light of Jerome’s homosexuality, the phrase “coming out” is interesting, because this is ultimately a story about “coming in”—moving from self-exile into community. More relevant than ever, in our increasingly atomized society, where so many of us are lonely and distant and crave community. I also think a lot of us crave transformative experiences or rites like the journey Jerome goes on, sealed in total darkness in a cave and forced to confront his own worldview, failings, fears.

You gotta walk that lonesome valley
You gotta walk it by yourself
Nobody else can walk it for you
You gotta walk it by yourself

Jerome’s vision of heaven was genuinely moving. And looking back, I’m not surprised I found that college paper—you could easily write several dissertations on this book: the mythology of Africa in colonial nations; neurosis and sexuality in literature; Caribbean masculinities. I won’t be writing any of those, but I appreciated the glimpses into them.

Hugely underrated gem.
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Global Challenge: St. Vincent and the Grenadines show less

Jerome Quashee lives a tormented life on a Caribbean island. He does not fit into the community because he is too light-skinned, too book smart, and not attracted to members of the opposite sex. Spirits in the Dark is part coming-of-age story, part coming-out story, and part a story of going back to one's roots. The main themes of the novel are race, religion, and awareness/acceptance of one's homosexuality. The first two are very common themes in West Indian literature, but, at the time show more Thomas penned this book, the latter theme was not as common. Spirits in the Dark would be a five-star novel if Thomas's writing were stronger. Action scenes are stiff, and the book seems to be lacking in the sort of lush, sensual descriptions of nature and people that are usually found in West Indian literature. Still, it must be noted that Thomas does a good job in questioning Christianity and asking why Blacks would accept the religion of their oppressors. He also has managed to convey the pain of someone living with a sexual preference that must be kept hidden. Ultimately, Spirits in the Dark is worth reading because - until recently - homosexual themes have been rather rare in West Indian literature and this novel, although not destined to become a gay West Indian classic, is, in its own way, a breakthrough. show less

I enjoyed learning about queer people on St. Vincent. The story is a bit of a slow burn, but ultimately a well-told tale. After learning how the main character has spent his life, the resolution was particularly poignant and satisfactory. The author weaves fear, love, grief, and loyalty into a compelling story.

Reckoning and evolution.