Beach Reading

Different shells on a sand beach background photo

Who Loves You Baby!

Who Loves You Baby!
Thank you very much, J. Kaye!

Saturday, July 4, 2009

A Thirst for Rain by Roslyn Carrington


Throughout "A Thirst for Rain" by Roslyn Carrington runs a river. The river is named the Savannah. I quickly had to place my feet on solid ground. I had traveled to the Savannah in Trinidad. When I began the book, I didn't realize it would make me think about the characters day and night. I pondered deeply what choices each character would make while living out their days in Northern Foothills of Trinidad. Near the end of the book I had become thirsty for rain along with the characters. I realized myself and all the characters had definitely been living through a symbolic drought season. I also realized rain does not always sprinkle us lightly. It can drench us. It can drown us.

Roslyn Carrington writes in many layers. Reading "A Thirst for Rain" is like walking through a gallery of dreams asking questions, trying not to point. What does this mean? Where is this person? Why does he or she need to act this way and not that way? Sebastian, Jacob, Rory, Myra, Odile and Slim are flawed, thank goodness. This is what makes the characters seem so real. I especially had trouble understanding Myra. You might understand her very well. The book is very basic. It is so beautiful.

Nature plays such a big part in this novel. There is of course, rain, the Tamarind Tree and Gracie, a chicken. Building the wall of a house becomes a young boy's saving power for awhile. So, even what is manmade in our "universe" is a part of our epic, our novel, our play.

Reading this book I realized no matter how far across the sea we travel, no matter our language, all people face the same kind of issues. This thirstiness is what makes a kinship between us. We come to an understanding of one another by enjoying The Arts.

"When at last she fell asleep, she dreamed of music boxes with arms that churned round and round."

1 comment:

  1. Sounds interesting. Always wondered what Trinidad was like!

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