For Grenada, I read Angel by Merle Collins, a novel written largely in Grenadian Creole English. This made for a slow and challenging read—but also a rich and deeply rewarding one.
Confession: I hated this book’s cover. That helicopter? And the harsh color scheme? I braced myself for some sort of military thriller, with soldiers barking orders and diving out of choppers. No offense if that’s your jam! But I am not that reader.
To my great relief, Angel is not that kind of book. It’s a deeply domestic novel that centered on the life of Angel, her mom Doodsie, and their extended family in a rural part of Grenada. Through their eyes, we get an intimate sense of what it was like to grow up on the island in the 1960s and 1970s.
But this is also a novel about revolution. As the workers organize, strike, and rise up against colonial rule, Grenada lurches through political change—overthrowing corrupt leaders, experimenting with socialism, and ultimately enduring the U.S. invasion in 1983. The brilliance of Angel lies in how it roots this sweeping history in the day-to-day experiences of ordinary people. I came away with a much deeper understanding of Grenada’s past—and of what it means to live through poverty, protest, and political upheaval while struggling to live one’s regular life.
I love this moment when a hawk steals a chicken from the family yard and Doodsie, the family matriarch, scolds the remaining chickens:
‘Youall so stupid!’ Doodsie looked around the yard empty of fowls. They were hiding in the bushes, up on the steps, under the house. ‘If you’ll would stay tegedder, the chicken-hawk won come down an do nutting! Stupes!’
Angel by Merle Collins, page 287.
Don’t you just love how the author imparts the wisdom learned from revolution and invasion with such a silly moment? Collin’s sense of humor kept me engaged throughout the entire story. In the end, Angel was the perfect pick for Grenada.
