Crossing the Mangrove

Authors : Maryse Conde,

Publisher : Anchor

Published Year : 1995-02-01T00:00:01Z

Edition : 1st Anchor Books ed

Format : Paperback, 207 pages

Language : en_US

Dimensions : Height: 8.25 Inches, Length: 5.52 Inches, Weight: 0.5732018812 Pounds, Width: 0.6 Inches

ISBN : 0385476337

ISBN13 : 9780385476331

Overview :

In this beautifully crafted, Rashomon-like novel, Maryse Conde has written a gripping story imbued with all the nuances and traditions of Caribbean culture. Francis Sancher—a handsome outsider, loved by some and reviled by others—is found dead, face down in the mud on a path outside Riviere au Sel, a small village in Guadeloupe.  None of the villagers are particularly surprised, since Sancher, a secretive and melancholy man, had often predicted an unnatural death for himself.  As the villagers come to pay their respects they each—either in a speech to the mourners, or in an internal monologue—reveal another piece of the mystery behind Sancher's life and death.  Like pieces of an elaborate puzzle, their memories interlock to create a rich and intriguing portrait of a man and a community. In the lush and vivid prose for which she has become famous, Conde has constructed a Guadeloupean wake for Francis Sancher.  Retaining the full color and vibrance of Conde's homeland, Crossing the Mangrove pays homage to Guadeloupe in both subject and structure.

None of the villagers are particularly surprised when Francis Sancher, a secretive amd melancholy man who predicted an unnatural death for himself, is found dead, face down in the mud. But, as the villagers pay their respects, each of them reveals another piece of the mystery behind Sancher's life and death.