“All that interested me was Jolly Jackson and I watched him and watched him, so beautiful, out of the back window of the car, getting smaller and smaller. And he waved and waved and waved to me as he danced and danced. d He danced and danced not moving his feet , but with all his body and his lovely smiling face. He was dancing and dancing and dancing and dancing in the very middle of the big main road. That was the best day of my Easter holidays.” (page 20)

I found this paperback sitting in a ‘Free! Take one!’ box on the sidewalk last summer and thought it looked interesting.

Each chapter of the book presents a different ‘story’ with different characters, some of them reappearing and often connected to one another. The book mostly takes place in Jamaica, and explores the relationship of the English elite to the place and the people.

The most memorable stories were those told from the perspective of a young boy, Ned (the quote above is in his voice). I found that his description on the Jamaican people was the most sympathetic and magical. The other characters are typical English snobs, involved in affairs, dramas and conflicts with each other (and the Jamaicans). I found many of their stories inane and forgettable.

I didn’t love this book, but I also didn’t dislike it. It’s interesting and more-or-less readable. I did enjoy the quirkiness and eccentricities of the characters.