Kevin Jared Hosein – She Reads Novels

This is a book I would probably never have chosen to read if it hadn’t been nominated for this year’s Walter Scott Prize, but although I didn’t love it, for reasons I’ll explain below, it’s a book I’m glad I’ve read. For a start, it’s set in Trinidad and I’ve only ever read one other novel set there – Fortune by Amanda Smyth, which was also shortlisted for the same prize a few years ago – and it was good to have the opportunity to learn more about the history and culture of that country.

The story takes place in the 1940s in and around Bell Village in central Trinidad. Thirteen-year-old Krishna Saroop lives with his parents in a sugarcane estate barrack, a ramshackle building with a leaking roof that is home to four other families. On a hill above the village is the Changoor farm where Dalton Changoor and his wife Marlee live in comparative luxury and where Krishna’s father, Hansraj – known as Hans – works on the land. When Dalton disappears without explanation one day, Marlee feels uneasy about being alone and asks Hans to stay on the estate overnight as a night watchman – and Hans agrees, grateful for the extra money she offers him in return. But as the days go by with no sign of Dalton coming home, Hans finds himself becoming increasingly attracted to Marlee and spending less and less time with his own wife and son.

Kevin Jared Hosein uses the disappearance of Dalton Changoor to explore the stories of Hans and Marlee and also Krishna and his mother Shweta, left behind in their squalid home while Hans spends his nights on the farm. Shweta is dreaming of a better life and at first is happy for Hans to take Marlee’s money in the hope that they can use it to buy a house of their own, but she changes her mind as she discovers that her husband is slipping away from her. However, Marlee is only one part of the problem; the relationship between Shweta and Hans has already been strained by the death of their first child, the ‘hungry ghost’ of the title.

If you think this sounds like a bleak novel, that’s because it is. I found it relentlessly miserable. Everyone has had an unhappy childhood, an unhappy marriage or both. We see people being abused, assaulted, blackmailed, murdered…even the animals don’t escape unscathed; there are some very graphic descriptions of the death of Dalton Changoor’s abandoned dogs, so be warned. I don’t usually have a problem reading books that tackle uncomfortable or challenging subjects, but I do like there to be at least a glimmer of hope and optimism and this particular book didn’t seem to have any. I don’t think there was a single character in the book that I actually liked.

Although I struggled to cope with the misery and sadness, obviously other people have enjoyed this book much more than I did and I would agree that it’s beautifully written. Kevin Jared Hosein was born in Trinidad and brings his island to life through his descriptions of the landscape, the birds and animals, the food, clothing and housing. He also captures the language and the speech patterns of the Trinidadian people and through the story of the Saroop family, who are of Indian descent, he explores the differences between the Hindu and Christian communities on the island. I can understand why it was shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize and the fact that I didn’t like it probably means it’s going to win!