First published 2000
Tan-Tan grows up loved by both parents on Toussaint, a planet settled by Caribbean colonists. When her parents fight for custody, her father makes a desperate choice. He kidnaps Tan-Tan and uses a dimension shift to escape to New Half Way Tree, an alternate world where the monsters and spirits from Caribbean folktales walk among humans. Tan-Tan must learn to survive in this dangerous new reality while dealing with her father's increasingly abusive behavior. As she grows older, she discovers her own power and begins to fight back against those who would harm the innocent. Her acts of rebellion and justice spread through local stories until she becomes something larger than herself. Tan-Tan transforms into the Midnight Robber, a legendary carnival figure who steals from the powerful to help the powerless. The novel follows displaced people trying to build new lives while carrying the weight of colonial history and personal trauma.
Genres: science-fiction, dystopia, fantasy, alternate-universe
Vibes: dark, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family, rebellion
Setting: New Half Way Tree, Toussaint
329 pages · Library Binding · Bt Bound
Content warnings: abuse, colonialism, violence