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Book Review… Art Imitates Life in Caribbean Drama
Book: 90 Days of Violence by Lyndon Baptiste
Reviewer: Dr Glenville Ashby
Lyndon Baptiste’s 90 Day of Violence takes readers down a path of human depravity. Violence erupts
The book cover of 90 Days of Violence
with dizzying sadism that fulfills the stark promise of the title. Sadly, violence comes with colour – a West Indian element, a guilty perversion that proves hypnotic.
The seven deadly sins are played out, for sure. But virtues and the fight for redemption are ever present. Baptiste’s work portrays Caribbean life gone horribly wrong. The azure waters, bowing trees and laissez-faire culture recede, to be overwhelmed by an insatiable lust for power and wealth.
Everyone is caught up in this tragedy, even those we are empowered to protect and serve. Everyone is an equal opportunity criminal – be they black, Indian, or Syrian, hence Baptiste’s disclaimer: “Coming from a cosmopolitan background, I would have despised myself had the material been intended as racist.’
Scenes of murder are lifted out of the history’s bloodiest pages, captured with graphic clarity. Misogynists (‘putting licks on disobedient women’), bribes, kidnapping, duplicity, and treachery are rife. Trinidad is under the gun!
This is the power of drugs – its ability to reach into the darkest recesses of the mind. And so, too, is the thirst for alcohol. But somehow, Baptiste’s timing and tone capture a Caribbean essence that is ruefully compelling. And this is where the author is best, proving his salt as one of the finest writers, creating gripping climate in describing a near drug bust at high sea
“Paul was peering into the gaping hole. It’s the bloody Coast Guard, he said, his voice a dry whisper. Droplets of sweat fell from his face landing with a ‘plop’ on the package Chip held pressed against his chest. A long silence Chip strained his ear…..He stood frozen, fearful that if he moved he would alert some faceless personnel – good or bad – who might be trigger happy.”
But, still, 90 Days of Violence lacks the literary style that has made Baptiste a veritable force in West Indian literature. Spurts of genius are stifled by a lack of fluidity, and at times stunted prose. Maybe the linear revulsion of the players involved allows little maneuverability for character development. May be that is Baptiste’s intention from the opening salvo.
Lo, somewhere in the abyss are calls for reason, for hope. Yet, the struggle to do good, to stabilize a society – to battle crime – is on the brink – in jeopardy, as law enforcement mulls fighting fire with fire – a dangerous development that will only precipitate the nation’s demise. However, the Prime Minister cautions against abrogating the constitution, as a professional crime unit, mirroring the CIA, is formed. In the end, the adage: “Crime does not pay” holds true, as the criminals get their comeuppance.
Fortuitously, the potential for good is never dismissed, and the courage to do right emerges, rightly embodied in the chief executive, Prime Minister Ambrose Taylor.
His fighting words echo: “We are the sculptors of the future. In us is a fire, that Trinbagonian fire which distinguishes us from the world, a light for us to follow, a beacon to those in darkness. Brothers and Sisters we are soldiers of peace, justice and the ideal of democracy.”
That a showcase of an island paradise nearly destroyed by mayhem is never in doubt. But more significant is the inexorable will of the human spirit to be victorious in an existential battle with the powers of evil.
Follow me on Twitter@glenvilleashby
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90 Days of Violence by Lyndon Baptiste
A Potbake Productions Book
Available: www.potbake.com
Ratings: Recommended
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