Book description
In the town of Cascadu, Trinidad, the 1970 Black Power rebellion
has failed. Sonnyboy, hapless and luckless, is desperate to be
recognised as part of the rebellion and forces the uninterested police
to arrest him. KingKala, a singer, returns from detention and is
sidelined in the calypso tent, his music dated and unfashionable. They
now hope to make their name in the movie that is being shot on the
island - but that too does not end as expected. And so we follow the
townsfolk through their experiments in music, politics, religion and
love; as, in their day-to-day adventures - be it a game of cricket,
the short life of a corner shop or a miracle at a funeral - they begin
to see more clearly what their community has to offer for its
liberation. Sad and uplifting, humorous but never mocking, Is Just a
Movie is a warm, gentle novel about small moments of magic in ordinary life.
Earl Lovelace was born in Toco, Trinidad, and has spent most of
his life on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. His books include
While Gods Are Falling, winner of the BP Independence Award, the
Caribbean classic The Dragon Can't Dance, and Salt, which won the 1997
Commonwealth Writers' Prize.
