Shadows Round the Moon

by Roy A.K. Heath

An autobiography which covers the early part of the author's life in Guyana. It covers his family, childhood, school years, adolescence and the influences that led him to leave for Britain. The picture that emerges, is one of an extended family in a society in transition, full of many different racial types and social types too. It is a picture of a particular child in a particular society at a particular time, but also serves as a mirror to the larger society which has now vanished because of subsequent changes.

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Roy Aubrey Kelvin Heath was from Guyana, where he attended the Central High School. He came to England at age 24 to read modern languages at London University. He was a teacher from 1959, and was called to the English Bar in 1964, and the Guyana Bar in 1973.

His first novel, published in 1974, was A Man Come Home, and his 1978 novel, The Murderer won the Guardian Fiction Prize. The Shadow Bride (1988) made the Booker Prize shortlist, Kirkus Review commenting that, "It's hard to believe it didn't win."

Heath's writings were widely acclaimed, Arnon Adams calling him "truly one of the most brilliant story tellers ever"; Salman Rushdie described him as "a beautiful writer"; and Edward Blishen as "simply one of the most astonishingly good novelists of our time."

Heath died in London at the age of 81.

Reviews

[Ginger Webb]

As a big fan of Roy Heath I felt rather let down by this memoir. Heath would only have been in his 60s when he produced it, but it often feels as if it's written by an old, tired man who is running out of steam. This is especially so towards the end, where the narrative thread begins to unravel and Heath seems to be in a hurry to close things down.

The quality of the writing is still excellent, and there are some evocative stories about what was at times a difficult early life in Guyana. But in the end this part-autobiography fails to stand out from the pack in the way that his novels do.

[Diane in Australia]

2 Stars = Blah. It didn't do anything for me.