The Wine of Astonishment

Arrived within 1 or 2 weeks. Really Fast service, and it was on excellent condition.

This fine book is essential reading for anyone interested in Trinidad or in religion, particularly indigenous religions, in the Caribbean. It is the story of a congregation of Shouters or Spiritual Baptists, an African Christian religion that was banned and persecuted by British colonial authorities, as they struggle with the conflict between worshipping as they believe they should and conforming to the heavy hand of the law. As such, it also has much to say concerning the cultural and psychological costs of colonization. It is a short, simple, engaging and profound novel, one of the best from the Caribbean. Highly recommended.

This is the best book that I've read in the last 10 years. Politics , social commentary , religion , it's all in here. Set in Trinidad , Wine... follows a church leader , his family and their surrounding community , as they grapple with a wide array of social ills. Beyond a good book. This one's a classic.