Golden Child

I think for a first novel, it was very well written. Gives good insight into Trinidad's culture. It highlights well the crossovers e.g., where religion is concern and how your are free to choose your path without judgment. As someone from Trinidad who migrated, some of the descriptions about the crime situation left me a bit uneasy. I like the ways we jumped across timelines and the main characters were captured very well. I think Claire definitely delivered a big bang ending - one that tugs at the heartstrings! I am not sure if I ever read a book where you are allowed to be part of a persons thoughts before they ..... (without wanting to give away too much). This book is one that I think would divide the crowd.

The story is set in Trinidad and although I knew that this island, as well as the other seemingly idyllic Caribbean islands, has an exceedingly high crime rate, I did not realise how extreme and organised this criminal behaviour could be.
I was very disturbed by this book and had to read the end several times to make sure my understanding of it was correct. I was left asking myself several questions.
The central character in the story is Paul who is the second born of twin boys. His mother had a difficult time during the birth and Paul has grown up with the impression that he was " retarded", inferior to his brother Peter. He was told this by his parents throughout his childhood. Peter is academically gifted which compounds the situation and Paul could be dyslexic.
Great things are expected of Peter where as Paul is treat as inferior and regarded as being a bit of a tear away, exhibiting difficult behaviour.
Claire Adams' skilful writing made me very empathetic toward Paul and when he was in danger I was so anxious I was unable to put this book down until I found out what happened to him. This had me reading until the early hours of the morning.

An excellent book. The story had me hooked from the very beginning and I loved the way the reader was transported back in time to learn about the twins' childhood. The dilemma faced by Clyde was well portrayed, and I felt sympathy for the main characters. The ending was quite unexpected however, made me think.
A great book for discussion with Bookswap Durham.

Reading this novel was like walking a tightrope: between a family story and a thriller, between the bright child and the not-so-bright one. It's a great story with believable characters, a sense of place and a terrible dilemma. I read it as a sneaky preview before giving it to Book Swap, Durham, for their next read and I think it'll generate a lot of discussion. Looking forward to it already!