Pepperpot

May 1, 2014

When Commonwealth Writers and the British Council invited Akashic Books of Brooklyn and Peepal Tree of England to the Kingston Book Festival, literary history began. The publishers jointly formed Peekash Press, which focuses on Caribbean literature. The imprint's first book is this collection of short stories by writers both novice and established who are originally from the region or living there; the authors hail from Belize, Antigua, and Barbados, among other nations. The pieces are as diverse in subject and in style as their creators. Dwight Thompson's "The Science of Salvation" tells the tale of a violent criminal who finds salvation because a single person, his childhood friend, never judges him for his misdeeds. Kimmisha Thomas's "Berry" portrays a lesbian couple who discover the courage to come out despite hostility. Ezekel Alan's "Waywardness" ends tragically but is finely written as the narrator discusses the free yet dangerous life that his cousin lives. The wonder in these stories is that they show Caribbean culture--the people, sounds, food, and music. VERDICT Like Alex Wheatle's Island Songs, this book will appeal to readers of Caribbean fiction and beyond.--Ashanti White, Yelm, WA

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2014
This wonderful anthology of fresh voices from the Caribbean is a commingling of minds in every sense: Six Partners Commonwealth Writers and the British Council invited Brooklyn's Akashic Books and Leeds, England's Peepal Tree Press to the Kingston Book Festival in 2013, and over a few beers, we (Johnny Temple from Akashic and Jeremy Poynting from Peepal Tree) agreed that we would work together. This vivid collection includes writers from Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. The diverse textures of the stories by 13 established and new authors weave a tapestry of the islands, water, sand, ocean breeze, and rum. Vivid settings serve as backdrops for a dazzling display of personalities. The Commonwealth Prizewinning story, The Whale House, by Sharon Millar, sets the tone: Sometimes after heavy rain, stones clatter lightly on the roof as the soil shifts and moves behind the house. Her parents' ashes are buried here in the rocky, flinty, soil, but Laura and Mark scatter the baby's ashes in the ocean.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)