Behind the Face of Winter

by H. Nigel Thomas

Fiction. African American Studies. Pedro Moore leaves the nurturing yet destitute home of his grandmother on Isabella Island to join his mother Isis, who works as a domestic in Montreal. Pedro brings with him the memories of his island, the teachings of his beloved grandmother, and a desire to know the secret identity of his father. BEHIND THE FACE OF WINTER is a coming-of-age novel that takes place in a Montreal in which immigrant youth totter on the edge of self-destruction and oblivion. Thomas's language is spare, and his crackling dialogue and use of patois compares with the best in Caribbean literature. This is a brilliantly evocative novel sure to leave its mark on the reader. "[a] satisfying novel . . . [with] an impressive sense of place"-Times Literary Supplement.

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

H Nigel Thomas was born in St Vincent. He attended university in Montreal and for ten years was a teacher with the Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal. He is now professor of literature at Laval University. His published works include the novel Spirits in the Dark, which was short-listed for the 1994 Quebec Writers’ Federation Hugh MacLennan Fiction Award; How Loud Can the Village Cock Crow, short fiction; and Moving through Darkness, poetry.

Reviews

[Christa Seeley]

Amazing book with fantastic characterization.