872. Disappearance

Disappearance
David Dabydeen
1993
Around 180 pages

Our first Guyanese novel, if you are keeping track on your home atlas. I like these entries from underrepresented countries, because even if you don't click with the story, at least you walk away from it having experienced a new culture or walk of life. 

This is a novel about a Guyana engineer who travels to the Kent coastline to undertake the work of helping to shore up the crumbling Dunsmere cliff, and thus save houses that are near the cliff. While in Dunsmere, the engineer stays with an old English woman, Mrs. Rutherford.

So a deliberately slow novel where not a lot happens. The focus is more on the characters, who I didn't find particularly compelling. There didn't seem to much depth to Mrs. Rutherford. I think the themes would have seem a little less ham fisted here if more had happened, or if the characters were faced with more choices.

I don't really have strong opinions on this one, which is maybe more of a condemnation than anything else.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Dabydeen is one of the longest serving diplomats in the history of Guyana, with most of his work done in a voluntary unpaid capacity.

UP NEXT: Deep River by Shusaku Endo