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Feeling the Place In the Story
My daughter recently gave me a book that is set, at least partially, on the island of Dominica. Of course, she knows of my love of the island and thought that I would enjoy reading a book that describes places that I know. The novel is called The Fatal Gift and was written by British author Alec Waugh. The time frame of the book is from the early 1900s until the mid-1970s, toward the end of colonialism in England. Waugh injects himself as a primary character in the story, describing activities from college days until late in his life. Another character around which the story centers is Raymond Perrone, likely combination of several of Waugh's friends during that period of time. One of the key moments in the early part of the story was Waugh suggesting to Raymond that he go to Dominica for a couple of years to stay out of the spotlight during a time of scandal in his life. On the trip Peronne falls deeply in love with the island. His fascination with Dominica ends up ruining his marriage and, in great part, dictates the rest of his life. I can relate to the way Raymond was drawn to the island with its beauty. The rain forests, the majestic mountains covered with tropical vegetation, the waterfalls and rainbows are stunning. But like Raymond, there is more to my inexplicable love for the island than just its natural beauty. Almost all of the things that Waugh described on Dominica took place well before I ever came to the island. Most of this story took place prior to independence being granted to the island. But many of the things that he described drew me even deeper into the story. For instance, I could see the buildings of Roseau as Waugh described some things taking place at Carnival time. Or I could visualize the green hummingbird he watched flit around the veranda in one scene. There were a couple things that I did not think the author appropriately described in the book. One was that Waugh made it seem as though it rained incessantly for many days at a time. In my experience of nearly 30 years of going to the island, most of the rainfall is intermittent showers that pass in just a few minutes and seldom interfere with the activities or the routines of the people. If it even rains one whole day at a time it is likely that a tropical storm is going across the island. The other thing that I found overstated was the amount of superstition on the island. There is not much Santeria or voodoo practiced in Dominica. The only spell I know that has been cast by Dominica is the one that it cast on me the first time I went! |
Grand Bay, Dominca
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