A “soucoyant” is an evil spirit in Caribbean lore, a reminder of past transgressions that refuse to diminish with age. In this beautifully told novel that crosses borders, cultures, and generations, a young man returns home to care for his aging mother, who suffers from dementia. In his efforts to help her and by turn make amends for their past estrangement from one another, he is compelled to re-imagine his mother’s stories for her before they slip completely into darkness. In delicate, heartbreaking tones, the names for everyday things fade while at the same time a beautiful, haunted life, stained by grief, is slowly revealed.
A beautiful cross-cultural novel about loss, remembrance, and the unbreakable ties between mother and son.
--This is one of the best novels Arsenal has ever published – evocative, haunting, and politically charged in its harrowing depictions of racism. --Our promotion will focus as much on the author as on the novel itself. --We will promote this novel more strongly than other recent Arsenal novels given the quality of the work.
--The author is young and personable yet learned and savvy - we will push for author profiles and interviews. --Focus on literary and Caribbean-American media, including websites. --Advertising in and on literary, cultural, and Caribbean-American publications and websites. --Advance Access; CBSD White Galley Box. --Early galley mailing to key trade media for interviews/features. --Author podcast. --Wholesaler co-op advertising.
David Chariandy is an assistant professor in the English department at Simon Fraser University (Burnaby, BC, Canada), specializing in world literature with a focus on Anglo-Caribbean work. He is also co-writing a book on contemporary diasporic theory. This is his first novel.
San Francisco, CA; New York, NY; Seattle, WA
![Soucouyant [Paperback]](/itemImage/2/7/9/2/2_691356.jpg)