Love After Love

by Ingrid Persaud

An electrifying novel of an unconventional family in Trinidad mended by their individual, and collective, quests for love

After Betty Ramdin's husband dies, she invites a colleague, Mr. Chetan, to move in with her and her son, Solo. Over time, the three become a family, loving each other deeply and depending upon one another. Then, one fateful night, Solo overhears Betty confiding in Mr. Chetan and learns a secret that plunges him into torment.

Solo flees Trinidad for New York to carve out a lonely existence as an undocumented immigrant, and Mr. Chetan remains the singular thread holding mother and son together. But soon, Mr. Chetan's own burdensome secret is revealed, with heartbreaking consequences. Love After Love interrogates love and family in all its myriad meanings and forms, asking how we might exchange an illusory love for one that is truly fulfilling.

In vibrant, addictive Trinidadian prose, Love After Love questions who and how we love, the obligations of family, and the consequences of choices made in desperation.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, LGBT, Literary Fiction, Audiobook, Book Club

336 pages, Hardcover

First published March 31, 2020

About the author

Ingrid Persaud is a Trinidadian writer and artist. She lives in Barbados and London.

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ingrid Persaud's insightful, multilayered, and heartbreaking novel about family incisively depicts the chaotic nature of love in it's myriad of forms, the price it exacts, the pain, within families, a mother's all encompassing love for her son, the love of friends but does not dwell on the rose coloured romantic love. In a immersive story set in Trinidad, a Caribbean island paradise, a veritable Garden of Eden of beauty, but blighted with its darkness, harbouring its own serpents that lurk below the surface amidst the lush growth, vibrancy, colour, joy, glorious food and music that comprise Trinidadian life. These serpents include abusive men, gossip and judgementalism, a lack of tolerance in letting people live as they wish to, and condemning those who are gay.

Betty Ramdin is married to the abusive Sunil with all the terrors that go with it, she tries her best to handle the dreadful circumstances and endeavouring to shield the worst aspects of it from her young son, Solo, who means everything to her as she tries to protect him from his father. When Sunil dies in an accident, Betty is left a widow, bringing in her work colleague, the kind and compassionate Mr Chetan as their lodger. However, the pernicious and malign influence of Sunil refuses to die with him, with repercussions that are set to continue through the years. Betty, Mr Chetan and Solo go on to gel into a unconventional and supportive family, with Mr Chetan taking on the father role for Solo, providing a significantly more positive role model than his actual father. However, after secrets get spilled, a despairing Solo leaves Trinidad, running to his Uncle Hari and the loneliness and struggles of New York City.

A desperate and devastated Betty avidly seeks news of her beloved Solo, resentful of his relationship with his uncle, but Solo is unforgiving, cannot appreciate his mother, unable to see the truth of her love, he has much to learn of life and his past. Persaud writes in island dialect, of dysfunctional families, motherhood, abuse, grief, problems and trauma that come if you are gay, the battle to survive, the strength of friendships, the paths that life can take, decisions made and the consequences that follow. This is emotionally powerful storytelling, harrowing and brutal, of the toll that love can take which I recommend to others. Many thanks to Faber and Faber for an ARC.

[BookOfCinz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love After Love is an experience…. A beautiful experience ….

Love After Love is Ingrid Persaud’s sophomore novel that examines… well, love! The book is set in Trinidad and Tobago and follows the life of Betty Ramdin, her son Solo and Mr. Chetan.

Betty Ramdin was only twenty years old when she met married her husband Sunil. The marriage was Betty’s way to get some form of freedom, live in and run her own house. The marriage started off great but soon evolved into a toxic relationship Betty could not leave. A few years into the marriage Betty has Solo, her one son who she dotes and maybe spoils a lot. When things in the marriage gets rough, Betty’s only focus is protecting her son from Sunil. On the night of Solo’s birthday, Betty’s husband died from falling down the stairs. At age forty Betty is now on her own raising her son and looking after a house that is entirely too much for her.

Mr. Chetan’s landlord for numerous years was recently assaulted and they decided to pack up their lives and move to the US. With very little notice and few places available Mr. Chetan ends up being Betty Ramdin’s tenant. Mr. Chetan is a very private man, he loves his space, his privacy and is not a big talker, he just wants to be left alone to read and do his thing in the kitchen. However, being Betty’s lodger means he will have to deal with having the company of Solo 24/7. Mr. Chetan and Solo hit it off and they are inseparable. The three falls into a weird but great arrangement that works for all. However, Mr. Chetan has a secret, one he is afraid to share, one he keeps close because he feels it might ruin his current arrangement.

Solo grew up not really know much about his father or his father’s side of family. His mother spoils him, dotes on him and they have a really great loving relationship. With Mr. Chetan moving in Solo considers him a sort of father figure- a role Mr. Chetan is happy to fall into. Solo does not lack for anything, that is until his mother starts dating and that lands a blow to their once tight relationship. One night Solo overhears a conversation between his mother and Mr. Chetan, and he is exposed to a truth that ruins their relationship. Solo works through his high school days and leaves for summer holidays to visit his uncle Hari. Solo takes this opportunity to leave his mother and Trinidad and Tobago behind for good. His visa expires after six months and Solo is now an illegal immigrant working in New York. Life is much harder than Solo imagined, and he finds unhealthy coping mechanism. He has no intention to return to Trinidad and Tobago… that is until one night he received a phone call that will change his life.

I spent an entire day reading Love After Love and I absolutely could not put it down. Ingrid Persaud’s writing is beautiful, engaging, nuanced and hilarious at times. The characters are all well developed and people you would actually want to meet in real life. I felt the author did an amazing job of showing Trinidad and Tobago’s history, culture and country’s current landscape. I tend to not try to speak on behalf of Trinidadians (even though I have been living here for over 6 years) but I did find the author paid homage to her country in a very beautiful, yet nuanced way.

A lot of themes are explored in Love After Love with love being the grounding theme. Persaud showcase the different forms of love and the different ways we love or show love. I have to admit, I enjoyed hearing from a 40 year old women about what it is like dating at that age in Trinidad and Tobago- it was so well done and I find we don’t read a lot about “older” Caribbean women dating and finding love. There is the theme of friendship and what that "should" look like, and I felt Persaud did just a spectacular job of taking us into a real genuine friendship between Betty and Mr. Chetan- I think that was so well explored and I wanted more of it.

Honestly, I could go on and on about this book. It is well written, it explores modern Caribbean life in a realistic way and the book will leave you feeling gutted. So many unforgettable moments and beautiful characters. A must read for me.

What I learned reading this book:
Moruga in Trinidad is said to be where Christopher Columbus “discovered Trinidad and Tobago” but he actually did not set foot on Trinidad and Tobago soil.

[Margaret M - (having a challenging time and on GR as much as I can) · Rating 1 out of 5]

‘Love After Love’ was a winner of the 2020 Costa First Novel Award, so you would expect to enjoy some parts of the book. Right?.... Wrong for this reader!!! Clearly other readers have loved it so please read their reviews, but for me I have to admit I really disliked this book unfortunately.

The story is narrated by Betty, Solo and Mr Chetan, and switches between their individual stories as well as how their lives are entwined. We have a story of truths, lies, love and regrets. However, none of the story was terribly interesting so I will not drag out this review, because ‘Love after Love’ just did not work for me, and I did not love during and after reading.

I tried everything to get into the book and after the first 100 pages I chunked my way through it. Despite being able to pull something out of my least favourite books, I just could not get interested in any aspect of this book. Most people would put this into the category of ‘DNF’ but I did finish and tried to like or at least get something from it.

I did not like how the book was narrated and I struggled to connect with the characters. The storyline was very ordinary but it was the language that left me cold, sentences like “…he can do what the ass he wants” combined with the other points I raised just left me regretting this choice.

No one book is for everyone and not every author will appeal to all readers. So I am an outlier who disliked this book but please read other reviews before deciding whether to read.

[Eric Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are some novels which are best read in silence and others which really shine when read aloud. Recently I've been listening to more audiobooks while traveling on trains or walking in the park. However, when I'm at home I'll read these books in their physical form. That's what I did with Ingrid Persaud's “Love After Love” which is about the life of Bette, a single mother in modern-day Trinidad; Solo, her wayward son and Mr Chetan, a closeted gay man who becomes like a husband/father to them. The narrative switches between all three of their points of view to illuminate their different perspectives on the dramatic events which rumble this improvised family. The audiobook is beautifully read by the author as she relates her tale with certain intonations and clear emotions highlighting the humour and sorrow of these characters' stories. I soon found that even when reading the physical book at home I'd read passages aloud as the colloquial narrative and dialogue are so filled with life they lift off the page. My emotional response was similarly expressive as I found myself alternately laughing out loud or crying during different passages. I certainly don't often have such physical reactions to reading most books, but this novel is imbued with such heartfelt feeling it's a story you experience rather than observe.

Read my full review of Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud on LonesomeReader

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first time I read a novel set in Trinidad and Tobago, written by a Trinidadian about Trinidadians. It had a distinct tone and it certainly painted a vivid picture of the Caribbean Island. The title, the cover and its setting might make you think this is an escapist read. Far from it.

We hear from three different characters: Betty Ramdin, now a widower, whose husband was an abusive drunk. Mr Chetan is a closeted gay man, a teacher, who ends up renting a room with Ms Betty. He's kind, likes to cook and becomes a father figure for Betty's son, Solo.
Solo is the third character whose point of view we get to hear.

Persaud looks at love in its many shapes - amorous, filial, familial, and anything in between.
It's a well-realised novel that steered clear from sentimentality and melodrama.

[Isabelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I understand that this book is gaining positive feedback and many readers find it excellent, as a
Trinidadian, I found this "novel" offensive and not very well-written, with leaps and bounds in the narrative. The vernacular Persaud uses (for those of you who are not aware of how current Trinidadian society speaks) is quite out-dated and in one case she has a character use slang from North-America which was from the mid-nineties (describing a Pundit as being the "bomb").
There is a lack of authenticity based on this part of the dialogue and immediately made me lose focus on what the character was trying to say.

There seems to be a troubling trend in Caribbean literature being applauded only for employing certain stereotypes, when there is diversity in the Caribbean, based on speech and how people express themselves. Reading Persaud's account of Trinidadian society left me thinking that there is only one way to be, one way to speak and one way to live in that island. What a suffocating thought.
Such a portrayal misrepresents a large sector of the country and has Trinidadians like myself feeling alienated when Caribbean literature like this should have me feeling connected.
To quote Persaud:
"For millions of Caribbean people, I am writing in the very real English of a very real place" -- for her to profess to be a writer of representing real English in the Caribbean, I find it unsettling. Yes, some Caribbean people do speak in dialect similar to characters in Persaud's work but not all do. This is crucial for readers to understand, especially those whose first look into Trinidad or the Caribbean is through the skewed lens of Persaud.

"And Sunil was good-looking. You have to give him that. A fair skin Indian with thick, black hair was a big catch. No one said it but I knew. Why would a hot man like that settle for a mook like me?"
The above quote from Betty is also disturbing, especially in light of current events (BLM protests) as it stirs up a dangerous form of thinking, which involves a person's fair complexion as being redemptive despite them being abusive. Yes, Betty is a character and not a real person but her mindset in this specific context and the blunt manner in how she was written regarding the abuse she suffered was distasteful.
Also, if Betty is representative of how Trinidadians speak, it is useful to know the word, mook, is antiquated. No surprise, Persaud left Trinidad at eighteen.

The trend in Caribbean literature of certain vernacular characters use to express themselves is alarmingly one-sided.
Are all Trinidadians incapable of speaking in more advanced levels or having a vocabulary that is nuanced and amounts to more than a few catch phrases, slang or words? Apparently, Persaud does not think so. What message does this send, especially to non-Trinidadians?

This is the equivalent of someone writing about Londoners speaking only in a cockney accent. OR writing a book about Jamaicans who constantly say,"Yeah Mon" and blast reggae music in their car.


It seems that Persaud is stuck in rural, village life in 1950's Trinidad. I say this because current society in Trinidad is the extreme opposite of what this novel portrays. After all this is an island that boasts a literacy rate of 98.7% - it also has an education system patterned along the rules where examinations were set and marked by the University of London and the University of Cambridge. Also, the University of the West Indies in Trinidad was established by the University of London in 1948.
It is also an island that has spawned Nobel Laureate in literature, V.S. Naipaul and other notable writers such as C.L.R James.
Sir Trevor McDonald is also Trinidadian and a celebrated BBC announcer.
Trinidad also invented the only non-electronic musical instrument in the last century - also known as the steel pan.

Education is also free and compulsory between ages 5 and 16 up until university. It is also considered one of the most educated countries in the world with a literacy rate exceeding 98% --
Trinidad is a place where enriching the mind is of utmost importance. Persaud's characters do not represent this part of the island, the tapestry she weaves cuts off a large portion of the good of the country and people.

For those of you unaware of these facts, hopefully I have set the necessary background to frame my feedback on this novel while enlightening your understanding of Trinidad as well.

Aside from the plot that readers may find engaging, as a Trinidadian, especially during these times, I felt the need to share my feedback. While I understand this may be Persaud's personal experience or experiences of others she is drawing from in her social circle, or a combination of various influences (real or not), it also manifests into something greater. Now, such a work takes on the role of more than a book, or novel, it becomes a life of its own, influencing readers and creating a biased reality for them of Trinidad/the Caribbean at large. Essentially, it perpetuates stereotypes of a specific group of people, culture and a country.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't hide from life......

Nothing more astutely describes Betty Ramdin. She's surrounded by the tropical breezes, the sumptuous foods and delicacies, and the rhythmic music of Trinidad. But Betty is also enveloped in the throws of an abusive marriage with her husband, Sunil. Betty tries to placate Sunil when he's filled with the after affects of too much rum and too much testosterone. What she won't tolerate is anything that comes too near to her four year old son, Solo. He is her world.

In time, Betty becomes a widow after an accident takes the life of her husband. She makes friends with a colleague of hers at the school where she teaches. Mr. Chetan captures her heart and that of young Solo through a very mutual friendship. Mr. Chetan presents the opportunity of moving into Betty's spare bedroom. They share the cooking, the shopping, and the gardening. Mr. Chetan provides a safety net for both Betty and Solo.

Ingrid Persaud wraps these characters tightly with mutual admiration. As readers, we become engulfed in their daily comings and goings. Seriously. It's been a while since I've become that invested in characters as they walk across the pages. They soon will become complicated and multi-layered by their life experiences.....experiences from the onset of their birth and experiences thrust upon them by their own decisions and caught up in the decisions made by others.

Persaud will move this story to the harrowing streets of inner New York City and the consequences it will play on the lives of these characters. Each chapter is entitled with the name of the character and spoken from their own perspective. The language befits the dialogue of Trinidad and you'll soon feel its smoothness and lilt. It couldn't be told any other way. Love After Love touches on that very emotion that carries such a deeply embedded personal response in all of us. This is definitely one to keep your eye out for.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Random House (One World) and to Ingrid Persaud for the opportunity.

[Katie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

It's no big surprise given the title that love is a theme that is explored within this novel. And while that is a common topic in fiction, the author managed to create something that sets it apart from so many other books. With the setting of Trinidad and island dialect used throughout the story along with complex relationships between characters, I finished the book feeling like I had a unique reading experience. And that is always a good thing in my opinion.

Betty Ramdin's husband, Sunil, is abusive towards her and Betty does her best to protect their young son, Solo. After an accident leaves Sunil dead, Betty takes in a boarder named Mr. Chetan. Over time, Mr. Chetan develops a bond with both mother and son. But Solo discovers Betty's long-held secret, and from that moment things are going to be different for these three characters. Where do they go from here?

What I like about this story is that every reader has the potential to take something different away from it. I personally gravitated towards the relationship between Mr. Chetan and Betty as it felt real and special. Mr. Chetan is the heart of the story and there were good moments between him and Solo as well.

I did not think the second half of the book was as strong as the first half. I realize a setup is needed for things to come near the end but it did seem to drag on for a bit. There is substance to the second half, but I wish I could have better maintained my interest level.

Even though this wasn't a perfect read, I do recommend checking this one out. One thing the author does well is really show that you don't necessarily have to be blood related in order to be a family.

I received a free advance copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[ReadAlongWithSue recovering from a stroke★⋆. ࿐࿔ · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolutely stunning read.
It’s true to say that at the first two chapters I found the writing style very different as when there was dialogue there was no speech bubbles “. I soon got used to it and you know what......it really didn’t matter because it was formatted so well my old brain adapted to it good good. And yes, I said “good good” twice as in the dialect of Trinidad some words do get added on twice. I’ve learnt a lot from just how it’s written. Trinidadian English as we know it, Spanish, slang expressions, idioms, French/Creole words, some Indian/Asian influence and a lyrical twist of phrase and it’s spoken with ease.

Certain words in here like Liming. Which means ‘hanging out’ with one other or more friends.
Buh whey nah” take a minute to comprehend “but wait now (wait a minute)” clicks with our brains after a few seconds.

I grew to love this so much about how this was written as it definitely puts you in the zone.

The characters were well rounded out with remarkable distinct personalities.

There are some very hard times in this book as regards race and the era this was written in.
When Queers had to hide their sexuality in fear of not only being shamed but killed.
No one had time for anyone like that!

At times I saw the complete flaws in each of the three main characters armour, but I also saw their strengths.

How a Mothers secret comes out from being hidden that is overheard by her son Solo. The actions and journey he goes on was so real in my head. What he did I felt, I hurt when he hurt.

The anguish of the Mum. The loneliness she felt, but the inner strength she brought out.

Then the lovely man they took in. The family grew only with a hidden secret from him which lead him into some very dark corners.

The last few pages before the end and again right at the end I’m not ashamed to say brought tears.

Such a wonderful story, great writing. I’ve written down this authors name and I want to read more from her definitely, absolutely.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this read. The island patois of Trinidad quickly becomes familiar and intimate, it feels as if this story could be told in no other way. It's been awhile since I felt so much love for a collection of literary characters and was as devastated by their various trials. Betty Ramdin, newly a single parent after the death of her abusive husband, her son Solo finding his way in the world and Mr. Chetan, the boarder who enters into a platonic partnership with Betty to raise and give a home to Solo.

Persaud excavates a rich mine of feeling here without dissolving into soap opera parody despite wild emotional climaxes. To distill this plot into its individual beats you could be excused for dismissing it as a juicy telenovela but there is so much here at its heart. There is the struggle against loneliness, bigotry, prejudice and our past mistakes while forging a path forward against it all. The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.

Love After Love (from the Caribbean poet Derek Walcott)

The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,

and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.

[Trudie · Rating 3 out of 5]

* 3.5 *

Caribbean literature seems to be flourishing at the moment. Was this golden period kicked off by Marlon James's Booker prize-winning A Brief History of Seven Killings in 2014 ? or can we trace a line back to Guadeloupean author Maryse Conde's extensive body of work. Whatever the reason, authentically voiced novels set in the Caribbean or dealing with the Caribbean diaspora abound. Nicole Dennis Benn's Here Comes the Sun (2016) came immediately to mind when I picked up Trinidadian Ingrid Persaud's debut novel. Both books have warm, eye-catching covers that seem to promise something relaxing and ideal to take to the beach, yet both lure you into something weighty and threaded with a portent of violence.
Set mostly in Trinidad and Tobago, this novel sits somewhere between a character study and a travel guide. The central theme, as the title suggests, is Love. Both the evolving bonds of familial and platonic love that the characters have for one another as well as their efforts to seek romantic love and all the complications that often entails (sometimes you do wonder if you stumbled into steamy tropical romance novel).

However, it is the author's obvious love of the landscape and language of Trinidad that mostly stayed with me. The writing is rich with a Trini voice, this gives the reading experience a very appealing rhythm and flow, as well as a collection of delightful words and phrases; I need to practice my mamaguying abilities, certainly.

While the ability to explore tropical locales is for the moment limited, reading is a good armchair alternative, and this book provides plenty of specifics for the travel-minded, from this novel I compiled my own Trinidad dossier; Maracas beach, Caroni bird sanctuary, Richards Bake and Shark, Chai rum, and Cascadoux fish, (Persaud provides a guide on how to cook this if you find yourself in possession of this ugly fish). However, a note of caution; while this is not Marlon James territory, Persaud is tackling some heavy issues with this book; domestic abuse, homophobia and self-harm are featured and we are reminded often of Trinidads atrocious crime rate, (6th highest in the world), so Love After Love is not exactly a beach read even though many beautiful beaches are featured!

Ultimately, this was a compelling and warm-hearted debut from an exciting new voice in Caribbean fiction and the cover (by Italian designer Giordano Poloni) is lovely to gaze at as you think about tropical bliss in the middle of a New Zealand winter.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5★

I've been looking forward to reading this novel all year, but I didn't expect it to warm my heart quite as much as it did. A wonderful literary antidote to all the negativity 2020 has spread everywhere. Although the ending had me choke-sobbing, I am left with an overall lasting impression of joy.

Set in Trinidad, and to a lesser extent New York City, this is the story of an unconventional family unit. Young widow Betty Ramdin decides to take in a lodger. She could use the extra income, but also the adult company, as it's just been her and her young son Solo living in their large house since Sunil died. She mentions her idea to a work colleague, Mr Chetan, and both are equally surprised to find that it is Mr Chetan himself who takes the room. Despite being very different from Betty, Mr Chetan turns out to be a perfect fit in the household; he and Betty get along well but also give each other space, and he's wonderful with Solo, quickly becoming something of a father figure to the young boy. The years pass and strong bonds of familial love develop. I don’t want to put goat mouth on it but days like this are as good as having my own family. (Chetan)

Betty and Chetan both individually consider whether it could become more, but there's a good reason why it can't/won't. One night, with the help of a bottle of rum, they explore the question once and for all...and, no. It wouldn’t be the first time I took a six for a nine. (Betty)

But unaccustomed to the alcohol, Betty's tongue is loosened and when she confides in Chetan with her deepest, darkest secret, she is unaware that Solo (now almost an adult) has overheard. It sets in motion a train of events that will split up the family and take Solo to New York, to find refuge with his dad's younger brother, Uncle Hari.

Life in America is not easy for Solo. As he approaches the expiry of his 6-month visa he has to decide what to do. Life as an undocumented migrant will be even more difficult, but the alternative - returning to Trinidad, and to his mother - is simply not an option with the schism that has come between them.

I just fell in love with all 3 of the main characters, so the contrast between the first half of the story, when everything was going so well, to the second half where there is so much pain for each of them to deal with, was really stark. Not without hope though, as they all had their own small triumphs and joys in the midst of their despair. The dramatic climax to the story was shocking and devastating, but provided the circuit-breaker necessary for the healing to begin.

The story includes some pretty heavy themes of domestic abuse, self-harm and homophobia, but all are handled with great sensitivity. Some readers may find the Trini vernacular a bit hard to handle, but I really enjoyed it and felt that it lent the story a great sense of atmosphere. I didn't know what all the words or expressions meant, but I could mostly glean an understanding from the context.

A reading highlight of 2020 for me - highly recommended.

[Betsy Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's nothing wrong with this book. I was fully engaged at the beginning, interested in the story throughout, but for some reason, I lacked an emotional connection by the end--a point at which I think I should have been deeply moved, but I wasn't. This is probably my problem because there's nothing wrong with the book. It's well written and has full characters and a good story.


11/3/21
I usually abandon books when I can't connect to them, but I read this one because my book club picked it. Well, this morning, as I was walking to the library to return another DNF because I didn't believe the characters, it suddenly hit me why I was unmoved by Love After Love. I never believed the character of the son, Solo. And I think the reason was that all of his psychology and actions seemed to be female but pasted onto a heterosexual male. Something never rang true for me. The self-abuse, the sexual attraction to being abused. It seems to me this would be more likely if it were a female who was abused by her father. But again, maybe that's hogwash and I simply didn't believe the character because I couldn't. This will make good book club conversation.

[Gemma · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
This book started really strongly and I was enjoying the individual voices of the three main characters and the dynamics between them. However the plot started to lose its way in the middle to end for me and became reliant on a lot of problematic tropes to tell the story.

I was most engaged with the story of Mr Chetan, a gay man struggling with the reality of keeping his sexuality a secret and the danger of being his true self openly. I liked the character of Betty too whose voice in the narrative brought some funny moments and her journey with discovering her spiritual side was enjoyable. However I struggled to connect with the character of Solo and his storyline didn't interest me much. I also didn't think that depiction of his mental health issues were handled very well.

A lot of the big moments in the story were resolved very quickly and felt quite anti-climatic after a lot of build up and there were some sub plots which didn't really go anywhere. So overall I was left quite disappointed with this book.

[Bill Muganda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a wholesome story of found family, and unconventional relationships. Set in Trinidad but later venturing to New York, we follow Three perspectives: Betty ( a widowed young mother), Mr. Chetan ( A closeted primary school teacher), Solo ( Betty's only son)
The death of Betty's abusive husband paves the path for Mr. Chetan to enter their lives, and they slowly form a strong bond and open up about their intimate secrets. We see them morph together as they occupy this unorthodox dynamic.

The writing won't blow you away, I'd recommend the audiobook narrated by the author, infused with warmth from the Trini accent, and you'll find yourself chuckling at the shenanigan. At some point, the story dragged and lost its rhythm, the case with books that shift perspectives you'll prefer some to others. I still had a lovely time with these characters.

[Story · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I picked up this book, with it's beautiful cover, the word 'love' in the title and its lush Caribbean island setting, I have to admit I thought I was settling in for a light, pleasant read. Was I ever mistaken. But don't get me wrong. This is a great book--just not the 'up-lit' read I'd been expecting. Within pages, I was hooked into the horrid situation Betty and her son find themselves in, found myself breathing a sigh of relief when the lovely Mr. Chetan comes to live with them, worried about the various twists and blows life deals to all three.

This is the first novel I've read by a Trinidadian author and I loved how Persaud created such a rich world for her characters. The food, the language and the setting are all so beautifully drawn that, even though I've never been to Trinidad, I felt like I was there. I especially loved how quickly the story travels through time, skilfully covering quite a long time span in a relatively short number of pages. Though I loved Betty and Mr, Chetan and wasn't as gripped by Solo's story, I still am really glad I read this novel and recommend it to anyone with an interest in international fiction.

[Melany · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, it seemed a bit slow and hard to understand due to the broken English. I never thought I'd finish it more/less feel so deeply moved by it. However, I did and I'm so very thankful to myself that I kept pushing through. This story is so powerful, sad and moving. I felt so deeply at the end that I even cried. This was so beautiful and raw. Just shows the messiness of life and family, and loving people. So deep and moving, the 3 main characters will be on my mind for a while after this. This hit me hard.

Please note this has scenes and topics that may be triggering. Please put your mental health first and do not read this if any of the following things may be triggering. This book included moments or scenes with: murd3r, su1c1de, d0mestic vi0lence, d3ath/buri@l process, and s3lf h@rm.

[Tripfiction · Rating 5 out of 5]

Novel set in TRINIDAD (one of the best books I have read in years)



When Betty Ramdin’s ghastly and abusive husband dies as a result of a fall down the stairs, she decides that it would be a good idea to take in a lodger. She invites her rather formal and old-fashioned colleague, Mr. Chetan, to move in with her and her son, Solo, and gradually the three begin to form an unconventional little family group. Love and respect grow over the years. Solo, in particular, forms a lasting bond with Mr. Chetan. But one night, the boy, now almost grown up, overhears his mother and Mr. Chetan talking. The secret she reveals turns Solo’s world upside down and, as a consequence, he runs away to New York to live with his father’s brother. There he finds himself in a desperate situation, isolated, vulnerable and desperately lonely, but absolutely determined not to return home.

Betty is utterly devastated by the loss of her son and focuses all her efforts on persuading him to come home. She is comforted in her loss by Mr. Chetan, who is struggling with his own problems and with a huge secret that he has kept from everyone. When this secret is finally revealed, it is with tragic consequences that come as a real shock to the reader.

Love after Love explores dark themes and doesn’t spare the reader the brutal truth about some of the worst of human traits – prejudice and cruelty – and the desperate choices we are all sometimes forced to make. But it is not all dark; it is often very funny. The novel is written in lively Trinidadian prose, full of wisecracks and humour and the novel’s events are viewed through the eyes of characters who often see the positive in even the most negative situations.

This book is packed with Trinidadian life and characters. It’s a complex cultural mix which Persaud skilfully conveys to the reader. On the positive side, there are the gossipy, nosy neighbours who support each other through thick and thin, wonderful food, music, sex – life lived to the full, but woven into this is a harsher reality – an island struggling to come to terms with a brutal past and an underlying prejudice that makes life very difficult for anyone who doesn’t conform to society’s norms.

Love after Love is an absolutely engrossing exploration of love in all its forms, both beautiful and brutal. It is peopled with wonderful fully realized characters who live on your head and heart long after the book is closed. This is an amazingly good debut novel. We shouldn’t be surprised. Trinidadian Ingrid Persaud won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize in 2017 and the BBC Short Story Award in 2018. I’m sure Love after Love will be similarly successful.

Oh my goodness. What a read! Probably the best book I’ve read in years. No wonder there was such a bidding war over it.

Sheer delight from start to finish. Every ingredient you need in a good novel with knobs on.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally engaging characters and storyline all the way through, sad to have left them all behind.

Such a tough line Solo, the son of Betty takes, too young to know what preceded him, and a mother's dilemma of not wishing to cast her son's father as a villain, while suffering the son's judgement of her, having cast her as the 'baddie' instead.

And the delightful, lost Mr Chetan. Living in a country where he is unable to be himself, yet finding a way to make the lives of those around him better. Cast out from his own, he is everyone's friend.

[Vanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5

I began reading Love After Love when my concentration had been flailing, my attention span mirroring that of a goldfish’s. I read the first page and then the second page. It was after I had read a couple of pages when it dawned on me that I had been captivated enough to not get distracted by anything. Not even the allure of my phone screen could stop me from reading what Betty, Solo, and Mr Chetan had to say about their life in Trinidad.

Ingrid Persaud’s compelling debut takes off with the death of Sunil, an alcoholic who regularly beats up his wife, Betty, and occasionally his son too, in his drunken spells. His story is one that does not elicit much curiosity. He is one of those countless men who turn into monsters when alcohol is in their systems. But otherwise, they are normal, functioning adults (or so the society would like us to believe). Thankfully, Sunil’s atrocities come to a sudden halt when he slips on the stairs and dies. The mother-son duo of Betty and Solo are given a new lease of life. Their family is complete when Mr. Chetan, a Maths teacher, moves in as a lodger.

Persaud writes a story that’s bewitching and beautiful without relying on the staple ingredient of a comforting story—romantic love. She chooses to foreground friendship instead, on how two single, lonely people can share a caring, tender relationship without it being romance. What I admired most about Persaud’s storytelling was the way it rattled me the moment I would start getting comfortable with the way the narrative was developing. Because isn’t that how real life unfolds— our expectations get thwarted, our hopes are quashed, and our journeys seem to be one long exam? And isn’t life also about the little moments of respite and succour, of feeling loved and cared for, of feeling like it’d eventually all be okay, of being washed up in gratitude for these tiny-big blessings.

It’s also a book about being a mother and how it’s not the glorious day-job most people paint it to be. It’s a thankless toil, an endless investment that might just take too long to yield any results. But we know that mothers go on, and sometimes along the way, they learn to love themselves a little bit too. And that’s perhaps why, Persaud uses Derek Walcott’s poem’s title for her book—to emphasise that our life changes when we direct our love and kindness towards our beaten down, crumbling selves. All we need to do is “give back (y)our heart to itself.”

NOTE: If you haven't read the poem I am talking about, please google "Love After Love" by Derek Walcott. It's a lovely little poem. :)

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love After Love is a strange novel. It starts off as a slightly off kilter story but then evolves into a many headed beast, tackling issues ranging from immigration, gender, physical abuse and many things in-between.

The book is narrated by the three main protagonists : Betty , her son Solo and Mr. Chetan, the live-in tenant. Each character has a personal story.

Betty is a victim of abuse, luckily her husband dies and Mr. Chetan moves in. She also deperately wants another partner, however Trinidadian society, to a certain extent, prevents from forming a long term relationship.

Solo is anti-social and an independent thinker. Later on in the book he moves in with his uncle, who lives in The States and learns some life lessons.

Mr. Chetan is a closet gay man who also is victimised by society. Eventually he does come out (not a big spoiler) and tries to connect with a former lover.

All these three characters go through ups and downs and realise the problems of living in a tight knight community or in Solo’s case being a Caribbean native in the U.S. The final message being the importance of family.

Normally when an author squeezes a lot of topical themes in a book, things become messy but Ingrid Persaud does manage to pull it off . True the book is a bit messy but there’s verve, definitely aided by using dialect. Although the topics are serious there’s always some humor running through the book. Plus there’s an insight to Trinidad’s society and customs, something which I enjoyed reading about.

This year I’ve read quite a few books which are about raising awareness to social issues but Ingrid Persaud just adds a lot of sparkle to it. An engaging debut.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Multilayered and heartfelt, Love After Love is a story of so many different types of love, captured in all it's joy and pain. It's also a story of hardships and struggles and sadness. It's a story of a family in all it's different forms, and all their flaws and strengths. A wonderful read that I will not forget anytime soon.

4.5 stars.

[Dwayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having had a physical copy of this one for so long, I was finally given the opportunity to read it with my local book club, and what a good choice it was! Not only did I enjoy the discussions, but I enjoyed reading this even more. Great characters, great writing... there's really only one thing I did not like about this. To say what it is would mean getting into major spoilers. Suffice it to say, when it happens, it will shock the hell out of you. (If you know, you know.) Solo, as a character, was also a bit much to read. I suppose I get why he's written like that, but his chapters were still very hard to read.
I'm not sure how in the hell Goodreads decided that my review of this was one star, but that really isn’t true. I loved this book, and outside of a few minor issues, this would have been a 5-star read for me. Possibly even a new fave. Goodreads, please fix your shit.

[Paul Fulcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Winner of the 2020 Costa Book Award for First Novel, I was prompted to read this novel after an event at the Wimbledon Bookfest featuring Ingrid Persaud alongside the authors of two of my favourite novels of the last 18 months, The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey, which won the Costa Novel and Overall Prize, and This One Sky Day by Leone Ross which I very much hope and expect to see feature in this year's prize season.

The billing summarised the books as "unconventional love stories, poetic language, a re-imagining of fiction and post-colonialism. Lyrical, fierce and subversive, these writers weave mythology, landscape and feminism into vividly imagined storytelling whilst challenging and revisioning colonial history" which certainly covers Roffey and Ross's novels well.

Love After Love was, for me, a rather more conventional in form and language, albeit one with an unconventional relationship at its core.

The novel switches between three narrative voices and opens with Betty recalling the last days of her marriage to Sunil, initially charming but latterly an abusive drunk. Solo is their (then) young son.

—Solo, show Daddy what you do in kindergarten today.

The child was crouched down behind the kitchen counter, crying. I found his letters book and pushed it in front Sunil.

—Look how the boy gone and write all his letters so neat neat between the lines. And the teacher told me Solo’s best in the class.

Sunil flung the book like a frisbee towards Solo then rocked back and drained his glass. I didn’t move a muscle.

—Where my food?

In two-twos I dished out the stew chicken, vegetable rice, and green salad. Sunil used the fork like it was a shovel. When he’s like this anything can become an argument and any argument can become a fight.

—Like salt cheap?

—But I hardly put salt in the food.

He rocked back in his chair. If looks could kill.

—You telling me you cook this chicken and didn't put one set of salt in the pot?

Silence.

—So, what I tasting? Something must be wrong with my mouth. How I tasting salt so? You know my pressure high and you giving me salt? Like you want to kill me? Eh?

I was careless. I'd left the rolling pin on the drain board. Easy reach of Sunil's chair. That rolling pin might have hit the wall, or the bed, or the chair. But it found me. Doctor said the ulna and the radius snapped in two. My arm was in a cast when we buried Sunil a week later.

At the funeral, I told people it was no big deal. I must stop being so careless with ladders. But I talk half and left half. People used to look at me and Sunil and say, Betty girl, you real lucky. In my head, I wanted to ask if they making joke. Lucky? That man only gave love you could feel. He cuff you down? Honeymoon. He give you a black eye? True love in your tail. He break your hand? A love letter. He put you in hospital for a week? Love will stay the course. He take a knife and stab your leg? Until death do us part.

A while later she takes in as a colleague a lodger, Mr Chetan, who becomes like a father to Solo, and the narration alters between the two.

But Mr Chetan's relationship with Betty is rather complicated by his homosexuality, which he for years keeps secret from her. Things come to a head one evening when she attempts to seduce him, and he tries to respond but is literally unable, and, in the aftermath she reveals to him, and inadvertently to Solo, a secret (one signalled for the reader in the opening passage above - indeed when Persaud read this very passage at the book event, the audience, including those who had not read the novel, laughed in recognition at the crucial line).

Solo, whose voices joins the narrative chorus, ostensibly for a holiday to visit his uncle, Sunil's brother, but he actually intends to stay and never return to Trinidad or see his mother ever again. The novel then follows Solo's struggles in New York, where he resorts to cutting, Mr Chetan's difficulties in a strongly homophobic society, and Betty as the one who cares for them both while hoping she may find love.

A well-written story - as the Costa judges said "teeming with life, full of unforgettable characters and written with such brio and style" - although rather conventional and too long (400 pages) for my personal taste.

Love After Love by Derek Walcott, the poem from which this book takes its title.

The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,

and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.

[Jherane Patmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. This book is going to be a staple on Caribbean bookshelves.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up

[Jess ☠️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. What a bummer. Initially I was enjoying this book due to Persaud's choice of writing it in Trini Creole. It felt authentic and certainly helped to bring the characters to life. Her descriptions of traditional foods and the community also helped to further immerse me in the story. And that's where the praise ends.

The description for this book in Goodreads quotes two authors one calling it "An electrifying novel..." and another mentioning "electrifying prose" and for the life of me I can't figure out if these reviews were perhaps written by relatives. Maybe advance reading copies were sent out with those joy buzzers attached because this book, when read on a kindle, is about as electrifying as an overripe banana.

The story goes pretty much nowhere for the whole book. We follow Betty, a doting and perhaps smothering single mother, her son Solo, an obnoxiously selfish boy and then man, and Mr Chetan a closeted gay man who boards with them. Over the years they become a family of sorts until a "shock revelation" causes Solo to flee to New York City. We continue to follow these three through the years (with individual chapters devoted to the first person musings of each) for no apparent reason. None of them do much more than luxuriate in their own self-pity although they surprisingly do so in different ways. Despite attempting to tackle some timely and important issues, the protagonists never seem to grow or learn. It's beyond frustrating... where's the gd arc?!

I was suspicious of the book when it was suggested for a book group assuming from the name that it would be a weepy romance novel (I mean, what an awful name!). When I read the description, though, it sounded like so much more. I was wrong. I wanted to like this novel and it had redeeming qualities in the language it used and it's ability to transport me to the Caribbean island for moments. In the end, though, I found the writing downright wearisome and the lack of any real storyline or character development weighed the novel down so heavily that it never rose above the mundane. Exhausting.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, but I am Trinidadian and can easily understand this book.

Let me explain. This book is local author Ingrid Persaud’s sophomore novel and one of my faves for the year. The writing was captivating and kept me so interested that I licked it up in a day. My issue is that as someone married to a foreigner, I will say that it is written in heavy trini vernacular/dialect (and sometimes to an exaggerated extent such that even a trini like myself would never speak like this 100% of the time - at times it felt like the author chucked every local phrase she ever heard into the prose) so someone who isn’t Trini may have a difficult time with it. In fact, the exaggeration of the vernacular is probably what made me downgrade this from a 5 to a 4 since I just think it perpetuates a stereotype that Caribbean people cant speak English well, when in reality we are pretty well spoken people in general with some of the best literacy rates in the world.

Anyway, that aside, I did LOVE the book and have already recommended it to so many people. Really happy that it was our book club book of the month. The characters were superbly developed, the atmosphere was authentic and the situations, believable. I would absolutely recommend to Caribbean readers, and to none Caribbean readers if you do read it, just know that we don’t always speak in this vernacular and if you do read it, appreciate it for what it is. A beautiful tale about an unconventional Indo-Trini family.

An absolute pleasure to read. I will definitely re-read this one.

[Fanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

December 07, 2020: I could not stop listening to this fiction that redefines love through a lens not fogged by romantic evocation, instead unclouded by devoted friendship and motherhood; set in a cultural backdrop of food, flowers, customs, and celebrations, this story reads intimate while exploring generational tendencies and mental health and immigrational difficulties and the painful deterioration of strong relationships and the thrill of putting pieces back together.

↣ audiobook listened to via scribd ↢

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[Ace · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up.