First published 2000
These stories move between London's streets and Caribbean islands, following characters caught between worlds. A mythical shapeshifter from indigenous legend threads through tales that shift as dramatically as the distance between continents. Each story adopts different voices and forms, reflecting the living sounds of Caribbean and British speech. Characters face life's victims and perpetrators alike, yet unexpected moments of joy break through the darkness. Comedy balances the harshness of everyday existence, making these tales both funny and unsettling. Melville captures the complexity of displacement and belonging across cultures. The collection reveals how people adapt and survive when caught between different languages, landscapes, and ways of being. Like waves in the sea, these stories take countless shapes and expressions, each one distinct yet connected to the others through themes of transformation and resilience.
Genres: fiction, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, transformation
Setting: Caribbean, London
Period: 21st-century
210 pages · Paperback · Imge Kitabevi