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A review by bookofcinz
Pleasantview by Celeste Mohammed
5.0
WOW! Addictive reading from a fresh new voice in Trinidad and Tobago literature landscape.
In Pleasantview foreword given by author Rachel Manley she says, “It’s my turn to suspect the mantle of Chekov, then Naipaul has now fallen to Celeste Mohammed.” When I read that line I literally wrote, “really?” because that is such a huge mantle for anyone to accept. I literally thought, “Rachel Manley is setting me up, I am going to expect Miguel Street and be profoundly disappointed.” Friends, I am here to report, that Rachel Manley was on SPOT with the Miguel Street comparison, Pleasantview was all that and MORE! WOW!
Pleaseantview is a series of interconnected stories told from the perspective of different residents of the fictional town of Pleasantview, in Trinidad. Each story gives a diverse in-depth look into the resident’s lives but at the core of it, Mr. H seems to be a character that is involved deeply in Pleasantview’s running.
These nine stories are distinct, engaging, fresh, jarring, realistic and unforgettable. We meet characters who are escaping from the prison in Bocas to be with his girlfriend being held captive at a local whorehouse. A young man forced to leave Matura, the turtle watching village to go Pleasantview for a better life, only to met up in trouble. There is Gail who wants to be a chef but finds herself as a kept woman for a Syrian man, she goes against the one rule of a kept outside woman- do not fall for the man- she falls hard in more ways than one. We meet Kimberley who is estranged from her Syrian father after he finds out she is a lesbian. She exiles herself in Barbados with her Soulmates With Benefits who keeps pushing her to come out. We meet characters who want to be good but so many opportunities forces them to be bad, we meet corrupt policemen, reader women, men marrying for green card, sons growing up fatherless, unfulfilled marriages- you meet all of these people and their battles at Pleasantview.
Let me just say, this is hands down, one of my favorite 2021 Read Caribbean Release. I am blown away by how impeccable this book was. The characters were full formed, the plot was engaging and I felt the author did a brilliant job of giving you a bird eye’s view of this community. I literally feel like I was at the top looking down on them going about their business with all their troubles and secrets tagging along behind them. It is not every day you pick up a contemporary collection of stories set in Trinidad and you know that this is distinctly Trini. WOW.
The use of language I think was spot on. The views and landscape of Trinidad was also impeccable. I loved how each character had a distinct voice internally and externally, it was beyond believable. There are so many things culturally that happened that was nuanced that was perfectly included in the stories.
There is a darkness to these stories that gets under your skin and does not leave. Sometimes I felt the author went very dark, but I also thought it was a realistic look contemporary Trinidad. Themes discussed includes, prostitution, generational trauma, father-son relationship, racism, classism, poverty, religion and sexuality. Each story gives a snapshot of the reality of Caribbean life, this is not your sun, sea and sand look, it is way more than that.
A truly great novel.
In Pleasantview foreword given by author Rachel Manley she says, “It’s my turn to suspect the mantle of Chekov, then Naipaul has now fallen to Celeste Mohammed.” When I read that line I literally wrote, “really?” because that is such a huge mantle for anyone to accept. I literally thought, “Rachel Manley is setting me up, I am going to expect Miguel Street and be profoundly disappointed.” Friends, I am here to report, that Rachel Manley was on SPOT with the Miguel Street comparison, Pleasantview was all that and MORE! WOW!
Pleaseantview is a series of interconnected stories told from the perspective of different residents of the fictional town of Pleasantview, in Trinidad. Each story gives a diverse in-depth look into the resident’s lives but at the core of it, Mr. H seems to be a character that is involved deeply in Pleasantview’s running.
These nine stories are distinct, engaging, fresh, jarring, realistic and unforgettable. We meet characters who are escaping from the prison in Bocas to be with his girlfriend being held captive at a local whorehouse. A young man forced to leave Matura, the turtle watching village to go Pleasantview for a better life, only to met up in trouble. There is Gail who wants to be a chef but finds herself as a kept woman for a Syrian man, she goes against the one rule of a kept outside woman- do not fall for the man- she falls hard in more ways than one. We meet Kimberley who is estranged from her Syrian father after he finds out she is a lesbian. She exiles herself in Barbados with her Soulmates With Benefits who keeps pushing her to come out. We meet characters who want to be good but so many opportunities forces them to be bad, we meet corrupt policemen, reader women, men marrying for green card, sons growing up fatherless, unfulfilled marriages- you meet all of these people and their battles at Pleasantview.
Let me just say, this is hands down, one of my favorite 2021 Read Caribbean Release. I am blown away by how impeccable this book was. The characters were full formed, the plot was engaging and I felt the author did a brilliant job of giving you a bird eye’s view of this community. I literally feel like I was at the top looking down on them going about their business with all their troubles and secrets tagging along behind them. It is not every day you pick up a contemporary collection of stories set in Trinidad and you know that this is distinctly Trini. WOW.
The use of language I think was spot on. The views and landscape of Trinidad was also impeccable. I loved how each character had a distinct voice internally and externally, it was beyond believable. There are so many things culturally that happened that was nuanced that was perfectly included in the stories.
There is a darkness to these stories that gets under your skin and does not leave. Sometimes I felt the author went very dark, but I also thought it was a realistic look contemporary Trinidad. Themes discussed includes, prostitution, generational trauma, father-son relationship, racism, classism, poverty, religion and sexuality. Each story gives a snapshot of the reality of Caribbean life, this is not your sun, sea and sand look, it is way more than that.
A truly great novel.