THE DARK OF THE SEA

Magic and mayhem meet adolescent angst in this gripping Caribbean tale set in Guyana.

Fifteen-year-old Danesh navigates life as a dyslexic student in a high school where he receives little support and in a community overrun with alcoholism and hopelessness. Despite being raised Hindu, Danesh is disconnected from his parents’ religion thanks to his irreligious grandfather. Seen as a troublemaker, Danesh finds comfort in his relationships with his grandfather, best friend, and the ocean, where he once experienced a surreal moment that he is unsure even happened. While seeking solace in the company of the ocean, Danesh encounters an ethereal creature and discovers an entire underwater world that he traverses better than his real life. Thrilled and curious, Danesh finds he has a mission, one which may see him become the hero he’s always dreamed of being and which may help him uncover his life’s purpose. With writing that gives an authentic voice to its Creolese-speaking protagonist, carefully describing internal struggles as well as physical landscapes, Baksh (Children of the Spider, 2016) creates a complex world with an inclusive cast of black and East Indian characters. The descriptions of authentic cultural symbols and practices of Guyanese people, some of whom are Hindu or Muslim, make Danesh’s exploration of a nearby—yet unseen—mystical aquatic land shrouded in stories of Greco-Roman mythology more believable.

Magical realism done well: a whirlpool of adventure that will suck readers right in.