Rabindranath Maharaj

Beautifully crafted stories in which older men and women from the Caribbean islands confront their pasts, with regrets and wonder as they discover subtle epiphanies. The stories consider the briefness of life, not only its final outcome but the losses accumulated over the years. Many of the stories focus on characters who are at a critical stage, approaching the end of their lives, or contemplating the passing of others with whom they shared a relationship. The fact that the characters are immigrants, complicates their feelings of forfeiture.

"A unique revelation of the inward struggles of a Hindu and the ultimate triumph over death that he discovered. I found it challenging and inspiring. Must reading." Hal Lindsey

A Perfect Pledgeis at once a beautifully detailed novel about family life, a lively and abundant portrait of Trinidadian society and an ambitious, universal story of striving and strife. Following four decades of tumult - both national and domestic - this third novel by acclaimed author Rabindranath Maharaj is both deeply perceptive and strikingly unsentimental; it is full of singular characters and memorable, often hilarious dialogue. A Perfect Pledgeis a major addition both to Canadian literature and to the literature of the Caribbean. The novel begins with the birth of a child to Narpat and Dulari in the village of Lengua in the late 1950s. Geevan, known universally as Jeeves, is the son that Narpat, an irascible cane farmer, has long wished for to add to his three daughters. But, growing up in his father's shadow, Jeeves develops into a scrawny, quiet, somewhat sickly boy-not helped by Narpat's unusual dietary pronouncements, including his insistence that Jeeves eat properly purgative foods. On one level, A Perfect Pledgeis a compelling story of the intricacies of family life - of the complex relationships between husband and wife, parents and children - set in a lopsided hut with, when the book begins, no electricity or indoor plumbing. Narpat, the patriarch, is an engrossing character, a self-proclaimed "futurist" with no patience for religious "simi-dimi." His ideas to improve his family and his village's lot are sometimes inspired, but sometimes seem crazy; occasionally they fall somewhere in between. The novel follows the family's progress, from the purchase of a cow named Gangadaye, through the children's schooling, to Narpat's almost solitary efforts to build a factory on his land, interspersed with accidents, weddings, conflict and much more besides. Through these events A Perfect Pledgebecomes a subtle portrait not only of Narpat but of the forbearance and irritation of his wife Dulari and their daughters' clashing personalities, often seen through the observant, hungry eyes of the young Jeeves. But A Perfect Pledge takes up other subjects too. As well as the story of a family's struggles, it is a vivid portrayal of Trinidad over the last four decades - a deprived and sometimes mad place lurching into modernization. Rural life on the island is particularly hard in the 1960s; the infrastructure is ramshackle and always on the cusp of being taken back by nature. But the village of Lengua is a cauldron boiling with village politics, Hollywood movies, neighbourly rivalries, ayurvedic healing and much else. And while it is both panoramic and empathic, A Perfect Pledgeis also a deeply pleasurable read: its elegant narrative tone is enriched by the astonishing improvisations of a Trinidadian English infused with Indian, British, American and other influences. Not a page passes without some jaw-dropping turn of phrase, from icy hots to scrapegoats, dreamsanhope to couteyahs. A Perfect Pledgefollows its characters through years of growth, challenges, and in Narpat's case, eventual decline. As he gets older, Narpat stiffens into himself, his plans becoming ever more Quixotic and even dangerous. Jeeves, meanwhile, is trying to step clear of his bad beginnings and become an independent, self-sufficient man, while honouring his family ties (something his sisters conspicuously fail to do). A Perfect Pledgeis a funny and moving book that portrays the struggles of an entire society; but the difficult relationship between father and son is ultimately at its heart.

Hilarious and poignant, "Homer in Flight" draws a brilliant picture of a chronic malcontent roving from high-rise to housing development along the 401 and the QEW. Homer remains utterly displaced, not because of what other people do or don't do, but because he lives in his imagination instead of embracing an imperfect but fairly benign reality.

Hilarious and poignant, Homer in Flight draws a brilliant picture of a chronic malcontent roving from high-rise to housing development along the 401 and the QEW. Homer remains utterly displaced, not because of what other people do or don't do, but because he lives in his imagination instead of embracing an imperfect but fairly benign reality.

'The way I see it, a country with a stupid shape like this one can't have too much smart people in it.' On the contrary, as Reuben's diatribe reveals, 'paper-bag shaped' Trinidad is full of schemers and dreamers. Maharaj's characters struggle heroically, though sometimes comically and oddly, to make their mark on the earth. It is as if the more frustrating their outward circumstances, the more intense their inner lives. Bashir Ali, the librarian, has developed an intimate relationship with his books, and a passionate hatred of their borrowers. 'Bhaji and rice! You put bhaji and rice on top of Virginia!' Hoobnath Hingoo, the metalwork technician, imagines a dire fate for the arrogant young engineers who lord it around the oil refinery. 'Barbecue the whole side of them. Grill them nice and black. Afterwards we could have a sale. Grill engineers. Going cheap. Eat as much as you like...' And of course there is Roop, the writer, who wants to escape from his gas station 'to write that book... about everything I ever thought of since I born.'Anyone who enjoys the comedies of V. S. Naipaul will find great pleasure in Maharaj's elegant and arresting style, but they will also find in Maharaj a profound empathy and understanding of his characters and their world. In the process, he gives a rewarding and insightful portrayal of the Indo-Trinidadian world in the late 20th century. Rabindranth Maharaj was born in Trinidad. He now lives and teaches in Toronto. Several further collections of his stories have been published in Canada.