Every child of the West Indies should know about the history of slavery otherwise known as the ‘African Holocaust’. From textbooks and history lessons in schools to movies and documentaries, the atrocities meted out to our forefathers have long been chronicled, even to the point of unease for some.
The ‘plantocracy’ of the West Indies that benefitted from the blood and sweat of the African slaves has long been spoken about, but educator Petulia Clarke sought to pen her own tale from a different perspective that as far as I know has never been done – that of a female planter. ‘In the Midst of Shame’ is a novel which challenges the stereotypes of the all-testosterone club that ruled with an iron fist, dispensing their own brand of justice while profiting from a morally reprehensible system which dehumanised and devalued an entire race or more than 300 years. As seen through the lenses of a Creole female master, it examines their concerns, need for acceptance, the desire of status, their sexual deviance and proclivities, but most importantly their fears of the black man which manifested itself with each lash of the whip as, without it, they knew that subservience was just a facade. The story surrounds Hope Livingston, a beautiful young woman whose birth was always shrouded in secrecy. As a female, her gender had made her a target for unwanted attention but as she grew under the watchful eyes of her personal slave Angela, she transformed from victim to victor, even though in the end she paid a high price for her independence and power, just like her idol, Gloria Hanover. Secrets have a way of tumbling out of closets the most inopportune times and Hope’s life is turned upside down when dry bones refused to stay hidden in the dark recesses of the mansion walls and the depths of the cane fields.
To Read More: Purchase your copy of Volume 9 #5 November-December 2017