This fascinating book, authored by Bernadine Evaristo was such a thrill to read. It broke so many boundaries in its portrayal of a closeted Black Caribbean man in his 70’s. His and his equally closeted partner’s names, immediately let you know that you’re not dealing with run of the mill people. The main character is Barrington Jedidiah Walker Esq, an Antiguan-born slickster. He has been in a decades-long relationship with his childhood sweetheart, Morris Courtney de la Roux.
You get a real sense of who these men are in both their outward and inner, expression. Their impeccable dress sense is wonderfully described throughout. They have a flair for dapper fashion. Beautifully attired in pressed suits and vivid ties. Wearing cuff-linked shirts, set off to perfection with tilted Trilbies that adorn their aged yet still dignified heads.
They walk us through London’s mean streets demanding that we show them due respect. They bring the spectacle of 1950’s Caribbean culture to the modern-day experience of LGBTQI life.
We get to meet these men at a point in their lives when irreversible forces are pushing them inexorably out of their closeted existence. Both have been in unhappy marriages for over 50 years. The lover Morris, has been on at Barrington to set up home with him for many years and is ready – even at his ripe age, to move on to pastures new if necessary.
So fed up is he with his closeted existence, that he’s willing to risk losing it all to live true. Yet you feel that this would be a huge sacrifice, as his heart is clearly still bursting with love for his man, even after 50+ years.
The book takes us to the heart of their coming out story. It explores the prejudices inherent in Caribbean culture towards gay men and towards gay black men in particular. It also explores how the two main characters inherited those prejudices with regard to modern gay life. Their story is one that is well worth telling.
It also took me on a delicious and illuminating walk down memory lane. I’d seen men who looked just like these men at the Caribbean dances we’d attend as a family when I was growing up. These cultural get-togethers in local community halls were childhood staples for many of us.
They were one of the few ways the British-Caribbean community managed to celebrate their culture in an often hostile land. The elder gentleman I saw, were well-respected men in the community. Perhaps the ones I met were not quite as flamboyantly dressed, but they were definitely still dapper.
It never occurred to me in my innocent childhood years that any of these elderly straight-acting men could be gay. I certainly had no sense that there could be closeted-gay lovers in loveless marriages. This is why the book was such an eye-opener for me on so many levels.
So much of Caribbean culture is limited to stereotypes of the ‘yeah mon’ Jamaican kind. Rastas with locks flowing, imbibing ‘ganja’ is a dominant narrative in the West. Tough Caribbean mothers who brook no nonsense from their children is a tale often told. Absent fathers who leave their children at the first sign of trouble, is an ingrained cultural stereotype for black men around the globe.
Very few tales are told of loving black fathers willing to stay in unhappy and loveless marriages for the sake of their children. Even fewer are told about elderly gay black men finally finding the courage to unapologetically embrace who they truly are.
The tension of this coming out story was felt viscerally. The moment Barrington finally blurted out his I’m gay! moment in front of his grandson’s friends. These friends were very much of the homophobic variety and Barrington in that moment, could not take it anymore. I was gripped. Praying for him silently. No Barrington! Don’t say it! Yet secretly willing him on to speak his truth.
The subsequent fallout of his wife and outraged eldest daughter discovering what happened felt tense but glorious. I was rooting for Barrington every step of the way. Yet such is the quality of the writing that you get to feel everyone’s pain.
The wife long in denial, recalling signs long forgotten between these two male ‘best friends.’ Her blaming of herself for their loveless marriage now seen in a new light. The eldest daughter having to address her own homophobic response even though she thinks of herself as egalitarian and open-minded.
The youngest daughter gleefully introducing her newly-liberated father to her outrageous gay friends. You could feel her enjoying the generational clashes that ensued. Each character is so beautifully drawn that you can see them clearly in your mind’s eye. The book fearlessly proclaims a new day – for Caribbean literature in general, and coming out literature in particular.
Such is the detail that you can feel how uncomfortable these two stuck-in-their-ways lover men are, when having to face their own prejudices towards the younger LGBTQI community. Yet still managing to find common ground. You could feel them standing in their truth, sharing their wisdom and opening their minds, in equal measure.
It is this kind of novel that makes life a joy for me as someone who is a lover of great writing. Through its rich, detailed and innovative structure, it opens our eyes. The cultural analysis it provides shatters stereotypes and heals misconceptions.
It informs and educates us. It demands – through its compelling detail, that we rethink what we know about people and about life. But most of all it teaches us that love, true love, will find a way no matter what.
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This post is republished on medium.
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