Waiting in Vain
by Colin Channer
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Book Summary Information
Author: Colin ChannerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1999-07-06
ISBN: 0345425529
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: One World/Ballantine
Book Reviews of Waiting in Vain
Book Review: Channer shows that there is more to Jamaicans than weed...
Summary: 5 Stars
In the novel, Channer was able to accurately represent the identity struggle which many Jamaicans and other Caribbeans often experience when they migrate to another country. When read on a supreficial level, the novel may appear to be another love story, with Fire being the man of every woman's dreams. However, when evaluated on a deeper more meaningful level, it is a story about people who are struggling to identify who they are in a foreign country based on beliefs and values which are also foreign to them. Should Sylvia pursue the "American Dream" defining her self based on status, therefore accepting her boyfriend, or should she pursue what her heart desires, defining her sucess by her own terms, therefore chosing Fire. Fire embodies for most caribbeans the need and the desire to remian connected to "home". To keep alive the traditions and values with which they were raised, while living in a society which often tries to devalue those traditions. Channer did a wonderful job illustrating the struggle and the torn identity often experienced by people Caribbean decent while showing teh benefits of deciding to retain the connection to home. I think that through the story, Channer is suggesting that the identity angst experienced by Caribbeans can be solved by chosing to retain the cultural traditions with which they were raised, Accordingly, since many of these people often do not return home, it appears that the best way to reatain this connection is through another person from that country, as evident in Sylvia's connection to Fire. This idea of culture as being transmitted through the body is consistent in the works of many Caribbean authors. Channer did a wonderful and accurate job portraying the feelings of myself and other Jamaicans who are trying to carve a place in a society which is completly different from the one inwhich were raised. It is one of the most interesting, consistent and well-thought out novels that I have ever read.
Summary of Waiting in Vain
Meet Fire--Jamaican-born, charming, poetic, and talented--a man who's vowed to never play "love-is-blind" games again. Then he meets Sylvia, a beautiful magazine editor who keeps her passions under lock and key. Together they must choose between the love in their lives and the love of their lives.From the galleries of Soho to the brownstones of Brooklyn, from the nightclubs of London to the streets of Kingston, Jamaica, Channer takes us on a wild, soul-searching ride as Fire and Sylvia try to connect, disconnect, and reconnect amid conflicting desires and wounds from the past. But through intricate love triangles, skewed priorities, and crushing personal tragedies, Fire, Sylvia, and their friends must learn that some things in life are worth fighting for. If not, you're simply waiting in vain.
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