I’m sure my high school geography teacher would be thrilled if he knew one of his students actually retained something from his class all these years later. When I received Sugar Cane for review, I actually delighted myself when I realized I remembered that the island of Mauritius was located in the Indian Ocean. Being from the U.S. where our island destinations tend to trend towards Hawaii, the Caribbean and Bali that’s about all I knew, though. I’m happy to say that quickly changed as I dove into this novel, which gave me Mauritian history and social studies lessons, and a travel guide so well written I could almost “see” the island. All this was woven so artfully and intricately throughout the story and the lives of its characters that I didn’t even realize I was actually learning something. Bravo, Ms. Fry!
Sugar Cane is the story of Elizabeth “Beth” LaBelle, a young woman uneasy with her heritage in her homeland of England. Although she has a good life with her husband and loving parents, her father, George, has been quite secretive about his Mauritian roots, which has translated to insecurity and doubt for his daughter. George dies, leaving Beth a mysterious box full of devastating family secrets and one final request — that she scatter his ashes in a specific sugar cane field on the island of his birth.
Sugar Cane is told from two points of view, Beth’s and her father’s (his from beyond the grave), as well as two periods of time. Beth’s story is told in the present, as she leaves her native England and travels to Mauritius where she struggles to carry out her father’s last wishes and to understand who she really is. George tells a tale of his youth, a period of social unrest and forbidden love, in an attempt to explain his actions to both himself and the reader. Ms. Fry does all of this with flair and an obvious deep understanding of the human emotions involved. She guides the reader gently but firmly through the recesses of Beth and George’s psyches, eventually wrapping the reader in a warm blanket of understanding and empathy for the characters. Despite the different points of view and travelling from time period to time period, the reader is never confused and it doesn’t feel like there is too much going on; a trap that a lesser writer could have easily fallen into. Quite the contrary, the two separate stories complimented each other nicely, and I enjoyed the rhythm of going back and forth between the two. In spite of the seriousness of the subject matter, the author takes us on a fun ride, blending humor and colorful characters with a good, solid mystery.
Ultimately, this book is also a story about the island of Mauritius itself and Ms. Fry incorporates its personality throughout the story, taking us past the sleek touristy image and giving us a glimpse into the social turmoil and political unrest of the past. She dares point the finger at western culture and its greedy ways that so often throughout history has stuck its paws where it didn’t belong, taking what it wanted and leaving native cultures confused and used up. I adore authors who are unafraid to express their opinions on subjects that are important to them, rather than glossing over it or not mentioning it at all. Especially when they do it as eloquently as Ms. Fry. I tip my hat to her for having the courage to write what she believes is an integral part of the story despite the fact that it may turn some readers away.
I thoroughly enjoyed Sugar Cane. It is a mature, well thought out story that obviously means a lot to the author. The plot is captivating and the writing polished. I loved the element of mystery and suspense, which kept me guessing and turning the page. I didn’t see the ending coming, and I love it when that happens! The characters of Beth and her family are well-drawn and fully fleshed out, and I felt I was inside their heads learning about them as they uncovered secrets about themselves that even they didn’t know. This is on my must read list, and I will heartily recommend it to my friends. Congratulations, Ms. Fry, on a commanding, elegant, and thoroughly engaging first novel!
You can follow Ms. E.E. Fry on Twitter @sugarcanebook, on Facebook, or at her website: http://sandybredpublishing.blogspot.com/p/e-e-fry.html . Unfortunately for me, I’ll probably never make it to Mauritius, but her prose sure makes me wish I could. Pick this one up! Bonzour!
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