H. Nigel Thomas

Jerome Quashee lives a tormented life on a Caribbean island. He does not fit into the community because he is too light-skinned, too book smart, and not attracted to members of the opposite sex. Spirits in the Dark is part coming-of-age story, part coming-out story, and part a story of going back to one's roots. The main themes of the novel are race, religion, and awareness/acceptance of one's homosexuality. The first two are very common themes in West Indian literature, but, at the time Thomas penned this book, the latter theme was not as common. Spirits in the Dark would be a five-star novel if Thomas's writing were stronger. Action scenes are stiff, and the book seems to be lacking in the sort of lush, sensual descriptions of nature and people that are usually found in West Indian literature. Still, it must be noted that Thomas does a good job in questioning Christianity and asking why Blacks would accept the religion of their oppressors. He also has managed to convey the pain of someone living with a sexual preference that must be kept hidden. Ultimately, Spirits in the Dark is worth reading because - until recently - homosexual themes have been rather rare in West Indian literature and this novel, although not destined to become a gay West Indian classic, is, in its own way, a breakthrough.… (meer)