Chinese Woman - Guyana 🇬🇾

This book caught my attention because its narrative shows the racial and cultural diversity of Guyana and the Caribbean that differs from other South American countries. Chinese Woman, by Jan Lowe Shinebourne, tells the story of Albert Aziz, an Indo-Guyanese Muslim.

Aziz recounts his childhood, marked by an accident when he fell from a tree, and his teen years in a region where there were sugar cane plantations in Guyana. In his adult life, he tells of his search for unrequited love, Alice Wong, a young woman of Chinese origin.

It is interesting (and revolting) to see the intricate power play between races depicted in the first part of the book. People are judged worthy of respect according to their origin and skin color, in a hierarchy of power. And this affects what Aziz becomes as an adult: both his view on other nationalities, as well as his own family and people.

SPOILER ALERT

The text maintains a flat tone until the end. And it is a weird end if you think about a stalker who is a fanatic religious also.

It starts well. Bringing up a man resentful of his position, and lack of power, in Guyanese society. However, the text gets lost when trying to address religious extremism or making a connection between the two parts of the book in such a short book.

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About the Writer

Jan Lowe Shinebourne (1947) is a Guyanese novelist, reporter, and civil rights activist. Shinebourne's voice provides insight into the multicultural Caribbean culture. She grew up on a colonial sugar plantation and was deeply affected by the dramatic changes her country went through in its transition from a colony to independence. She wrote her first novels based on these experiences.

Other Books: Timepiece (1986), The Last English Plantation (1988), The Godmother and Other Stories (2004)