“As he walked home he looked up at the myriads of stars, shining in
the moonlight. Did people live there ? And if they did, what sort of
life did they live ?”
Port-of-Spain in the 1920s, and Haynes' world has been upended. His
mother has died, and his carefully mapped-out future of gleaming
opportunity has disappeared with her.
Unable to afford his former life, he finds himself moving into Minty
Alley — a bustling barrack yard teeming with energy and a spectacular
cast of characters. In this sliver of West Indian working-class
society, outrageous love affairs and passionate arguments are a daily
fixture, and Haynes begins to slip from curious observer to the heart
of the action.
This week's book is Minty Alley by C L R James and we'll not be meeting at The Fletcher Moss on William Street in Didsbury but will be meeting online — contact us for details.
