In this debut we learn that life in a tropical paradise is definitely not quite the picture-perfect idyll tourists might imagine.
The story focuses on a selection of characters living in a tourist resort in Barbados. Each character is very different, but is united in some way. Some of the stories are brutal, most are deeply upsetting but I loved the determination of each character to make the most of what life was giving them.
I found it a little disorientating initially, switching from character to character. But as we learned of their backstories and saw how they were interwoven over time it was an absorbing read.
The conflict between tourist and local, their interdependency and the bonds established over time were presented honestly. While the separate strands of the stories were bleak, there was a sense of optimism in some aspects that I found offset the potential negativity.