All Decent Animals: A Novel

<p>Oonya Kempadoo's moving third novel, <i>All Decent Animals</i>, looks at the personal and aesthetic choices of a multifaceted cast of characters on the Caribbean island of Trinidad -- a country still developing economically but rich culturally, aiming at &quot;world-class&quot; status amid its poor island cousins. It is a novel about relationships, examined through the distinct rhythms of the city of Port of Spain.</p><p>Loyalties, love, conflicting cultures, and creativity come into play as Ata, a young woman working in carnival design but curious about writing, and her European boyfriend, Pierre, negotiate the care of their friend Fraser, a closeted gay man dying from AIDS. The contradictory Trinidadian setting becomes a parallel character to Fraser's Cambridge-derived artistic sensibility and an antagonist to Ata's creative journey.</p><br><br><p><i>All Decent Animals </i>is a forthright inquiry into the complexity of character, social issues, and island society, with all the island's humor, mysticism, and tragedy.</p>