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Jacaranda Books Ever Since We Small.
An intricately woven tapestry of stories where survival, resilience and self-discovery are passed down through generations of an Indo-Trinidadian family.
Celeste Mohammed's second novel-in-stories, Ever Since We Small, is a family saga which covers a sweeping landscape from the days of the British Raj in India, to multicultural modern Trinidad. Written in a blend of Standard English and several flavours of Trinidad kriol, the book follows the bloodline of a young woman, Jayanti, after her decision to become a girmitiya, an indentured labourer in the Caribbean.
Jayanti's grandson, Lall Gopaul, seeks to escape the rural village where he was born, but becomes seduced and corrupted by urban life. His son, Shiva, is forced to take a child-bride, Salma, but never recovers from the guilt. Heartache follows for their three children - Anand, Nadya and Abby - who must each find a way to accept and yet move past their parents' failed example.
Along the journey of these ten interconnected stories, the alchemy necessary to turn the Gopauls' inheritance of pain into a "generation of gold" requires intervention by the living and dead, the "real" and the mythical, the mundane and the magical, the secular and the sacred.
Celeste Mohammed's second novel-in-stories, Ever Since We Small, is a family saga which covers a sweeping landscape from the days of the British Raj in India, to multicultural modern Trinidad. Written in a blend of Standard English and several flavours of Trinidad kriol, the book follows the bloodline of a young woman, Jayanti, after her decision to become a girmitiya, an indentured labourer in the Caribbean.
Jayanti's grandson, Lall Gopaul, seeks to escape the rural village where he was born, but becomes seduced and corrupted by urban life. His son, Shiva, is forced to take a child-bride, Salma, but never recovers from the guilt. Heartache follows for their three children - Anand, Nadya and Abby - who must each find a way to accept and yet move past their parents' failed example.
Along the journey of these ten interconnected stories, the alchemy necessary to turn the Gopauls' inheritance of pain into a "generation of gold" requires intervention by the living and dead, the "real" and the mythical, the mundane and the magical, the secular and the sacred.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published April 24, 2025
15 people are currently reading
395 people want to read
About the author
Celeste Mohammed
5 books95 followersCeleste Mohammed is a Trinidadian lawyer-turned-writer whose debut novel-in-stories, Pleasantview (Ig, 2021), won the 2022 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, along with multiple other awards. Her second novel-in-stories, Ever Since We Small, inspired by her Indo-Caribbean heritage, was released in the Caribbean in April 2025 by Jacaranda Books UK, with international editions forthcoming in October 2025. Celeste’s nonfiction debut, A Different Energy: Women in Caribbean Oil & Gas (2024), has been well received within the energy industries of Trinidad, Guyana, and Suriname.
Celeste holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University, and her short fiction has earned prestigious accolades, including the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize and a Commonwealth Short Story Prize shortlist. Her work appears in Daughters of Latin America (Amistad, 2023).
A full-time writer, editor, and ghostwriter, Celeste remains dedicated to challenging myths and misconceptions about Caribbean life and illuminating its deep connections to the wider world.
Celeste holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University, and her short fiction has earned prestigious accolades, including the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize and a Commonwealth Short Story Prize shortlist. Her work appears in Daughters of Latin America (Amistad, 2023).
A full-time writer, editor, and ghostwriter, Celeste remains dedicated to challenging myths and misconceptions about Caribbean life and illuminating its deep connections to the wider world.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 31, 2025
Celeste Mohammed did it again! A brilliant novel that captures the Indo-Trinidadian experience
A sweeping family saga, Ever Since We Small is a novel-in-stories that opens in India and blossoms in modern day Trinidad and Tobago. We are taken on a journey told from various perspective and began with a Jayanti who fled after her husband died and ended up on a boat to Trinidad and Tobago as an indentured laborer. While on the way to the Caribbean, Jayanti suffered a trauma, that led to the birth of her son. Once they land in Trinidad and Tobago they must now integrate into a society they don’t a lot about, while seeking to heal generational traumas.
Told in the same vein as Homegoing the book starts with the Jayanti then goes to the perspective of her son, then her grandson, then his children and with each telling and point of view we get a richer look at the family and how trauma keeps repeating itself but also examines how it must end.
Celeste Mohammed knows how to tell an amazing story and she showcases this with her sophomore novel in stories EVER SINCE WE SMALL. We are taken from India, the journey to the Caribbean, rural and urban Trinidad. The goal is for us to follow a family that continues to heal but also make the same mistake. I loved how with each story we hear from another family member who gives us a more nuanced look into their live and the decision they make. The use of Trinidad creole is what makes Celeste Mohammed’s writing feel so special. How she is able to capture Indo-Trinidadian culture is brilliant.
It is not often I read of an Indo-Trinidadian family whose history started in Indian, and we are given a look into the circumstances on how they ended up being an indentured labourer in T&T. Celeste makes us question, will the cycle of abuse end? Who will it end with?
A brilliant novel that I can’t wait to talk more about.
P.S. Yes, this will be a BookOfCinz Book Club pick!
A sweeping family saga, Ever Since We Small is a novel-in-stories that opens in India and blossoms in modern day Trinidad and Tobago. We are taken on a journey told from various perspective and began with a Jayanti who fled after her husband died and ended up on a boat to Trinidad and Tobago as an indentured laborer. While on the way to the Caribbean, Jayanti suffered a trauma, that led to the birth of her son. Once they land in Trinidad and Tobago they must now integrate into a society they don’t a lot about, while seeking to heal generational traumas.
Told in the same vein as Homegoing the book starts with the Jayanti then goes to the perspective of her son, then her grandson, then his children and with each telling and point of view we get a richer look at the family and how trauma keeps repeating itself but also examines how it must end.
Celeste Mohammed knows how to tell an amazing story and she showcases this with her sophomore novel in stories EVER SINCE WE SMALL. We are taken from India, the journey to the Caribbean, rural and urban Trinidad. The goal is for us to follow a family that continues to heal but also make the same mistake. I loved how with each story we hear from another family member who gives us a more nuanced look into their live and the decision they make. The use of Trinidad creole is what makes Celeste Mohammed’s writing feel so special. How she is able to capture Indo-Trinidadian culture is brilliant.
It is not often I read of an Indo-Trinidadian family whose history started in Indian, and we are given a look into the circumstances on how they ended up being an indentured labourer in T&T. Celeste makes us question, will the cycle of abuse end? Who will it end with?
A brilliant novel that I can’t wait to talk more about.
P.S. Yes, this will be a BookOfCinz Book Club pick!
May 18, 2025
Ever Since We Small is nothing short of a cultural masterpiece. It brilliantly captures the essence of Trinidad; its rhythms, its people, and the quietly borne legacies of Indo-Trinidadian women, stretching from the shadows of the Kaalapani to the hills of Bagatelle, St. James, Barrackpore... Every chapter is alive with truth and resonance.
This book was absolutely brilliant, captivating from cover to cover. Not a single chapter disappointed. The author’s mastery of characterisation through dialogue, setting, and description feels both intimate and universal. The use of Trinbagonian dialect feels effortlessly genuine; it’s the most authentic I’ve read in literature by local authors. You hear the voices; you feel the anger, the hurt, the intended humour.
The final chapter had me mewling at 3 a.m., caught off guard by how emotionally gripping it was. I don’t know if the author intended it to be so moving, but a sob still lingers in my throat. And the cover? An absolute Easter egg, its meaning only fully revealed at the book’s close, what a rewarding and poetic detail.
This is the kind of book that not only tells stories but unearths them from within the reader and commences deep conversations.
My mom and I also found ourselves marvelling at how seamlessly the author wove together so many characters and histories. The blend of folklore and humour added richness without ever taking away from the gravity of the tale.
Simply put, this author stands shoulder to shoulder with any internationally acclaimed writer and in many ways, surpasses them. We saw so many persons in our lives, our communities in these pages with clarity and precision. What a gift.
This is a landmark work in Caribbean literature, one that deserves a place in the canon and is sure to be studied for generations to come.
This book was absolutely brilliant, captivating from cover to cover. Not a single chapter disappointed. The author’s mastery of characterisation through dialogue, setting, and description feels both intimate and universal. The use of Trinbagonian dialect feels effortlessly genuine; it’s the most authentic I’ve read in literature by local authors. You hear the voices; you feel the anger, the hurt, the intended humour.
The final chapter had me mewling at 3 a.m., caught off guard by how emotionally gripping it was. I don’t know if the author intended it to be so moving, but a sob still lingers in my throat. And the cover? An absolute Easter egg, its meaning only fully revealed at the book’s close, what a rewarding and poetic detail.
This is the kind of book that not only tells stories but unearths them from within the reader and commences deep conversations.
My mom and I also found ourselves marvelling at how seamlessly the author wove together so many characters and histories. The blend of folklore and humour added richness without ever taking away from the gravity of the tale.
Simply put, this author stands shoulder to shoulder with any internationally acclaimed writer and in many ways, surpasses them. We saw so many persons in our lives, our communities in these pages with clarity and precision. What a gift.
This is a landmark work in Caribbean literature, one that deserves a place in the canon and is sure to be studied for generations to come.
December 31, 2025
Lovely multigenerational novel about a Indo-Trinidadian lineage in the tradition of Pachinko and Homegoing. Jayanti’s story in India started out a little flat (a lot of her narrative felt culturally removed, like someone describing an Indian woman’s mind without the agency that the author captures for her other female characters—especially evident imo in her description of sati and Kali) but the novel really hit its stride once it reached Trinidad.
December 11, 2025
Celeste Mohammed just might be my favourite Caribbean writer. I thoroughly enjoyed 'Pleasantview' and so I was looking forward to reading 'Ever Since We Small' - it didn't disappoint!
Celeste writes characters and their interwoven plotlines so well.
It's also great to shine a light on Indo-Trinidadian stories.
Celeste writes characters and their interwoven plotlines so well.
It's also great to shine a light on Indo-Trinidadian stories.
June 12, 2025
Celeste Mohammed’s Ever Since We Small is a masterful tapestry of ten interconnected stories that delve deep into the complexities of family, identity, and the enduring impact of trauma within the Indo-Trinidadian diaspora. Through her evocative prose, Mohammed offers readers a poignant exploration of generational struggles and the intricate dance between cultural heritage and personal evolution starting with Jayanti, an Indian woman who escaped becoming a Sati and instead became an indentured labourer in the Caribbean.
The narrative’s strength lies in its rich character development, particularly in the portrayal of Shiva. Initially presented as a product of his circumstances, Shiva’s journey unfolds to reveal a man grappling with his conscience amidst a backdrop of adversity. This nuanced depiction challenges readers to reconsider the boundaries between fate and agency, highlighting the complexities of human nature.
Mohammed’s storytelling is further enriched by her incorporation of Trinidadian folklore and the Indo-Muslim-Trinidadian experience. The cultural references serve not only as a backdrop but as integral elements that shape the characters’ identities and choices. This cultural immersion provides a refreshing departure from mainstream narratives, offering authenticity and depth to the storytelling.
While the novel’s exploration of familial trauma and societal challenges is undeniably compelling, it also serves as a mirror reflecting the resilience and strength inherent within communities. Mohammed’s work is a testament to the power of storytelling in preserving cultural narratives and fostering empathy across diverse audiences.
In conclusion, Ever Since We Small is a captivating read that seamlessly blends personal and collective histories, inviting readers into a world where the past and present converge. For those seeking literature that offers both emotional depth and cultural insight, this novel is highly recommended.
The narrative’s strength lies in its rich character development, particularly in the portrayal of Shiva. Initially presented as a product of his circumstances, Shiva’s journey unfolds to reveal a man grappling with his conscience amidst a backdrop of adversity. This nuanced depiction challenges readers to reconsider the boundaries between fate and agency, highlighting the complexities of human nature.
Mohammed’s storytelling is further enriched by her incorporation of Trinidadian folklore and the Indo-Muslim-Trinidadian experience. The cultural references serve not only as a backdrop but as integral elements that shape the characters’ identities and choices. This cultural immersion provides a refreshing departure from mainstream narratives, offering authenticity and depth to the storytelling.
While the novel’s exploration of familial trauma and societal challenges is undeniably compelling, it also serves as a mirror reflecting the resilience and strength inherent within communities. Mohammed’s work is a testament to the power of storytelling in preserving cultural narratives and fostering empathy across diverse audiences.
In conclusion, Ever Since We Small is a captivating read that seamlessly blends personal and collective histories, inviting readers into a world where the past and present converge. For those seeking literature that offers both emotional depth and cultural insight, this novel is highly recommended.
June 12, 2025
A crash course in Indo-Trinidadian history and culture....served with folklore, family drama, and a touch of the supernatural.
This is a novel-in-stories that follows generations of the Gopaul family, from a young woman’s decision to leave India as an indentured laborer to the lives of her descendants in modern Trinidad. It’s a family saga that doesn't just follow the bloodline, it follows pain, silence and shame that is passed down through generations.
At first, I had Google on standby for the Indo/Trinidadian terms and dialect but soon enough, I caught the rhythm. The language, the food, the customs, the tension, all adds to the realness. And the supernatural elements? Think chooryle, bucks and douens...unapologetically Trini.
Some of the stories are hard, some of them are heartbreaking, but all of them feel real.
One of the many things I learnt in this book is of the tension between the Indians and blacks, its not the focus, but its there.
All in all this was a great read, one that teaches while it entertains.
This is a novel-in-stories that follows generations of the Gopaul family, from a young woman’s decision to leave India as an indentured laborer to the lives of her descendants in modern Trinidad. It’s a family saga that doesn't just follow the bloodline, it follows pain, silence and shame that is passed down through generations.
At first, I had Google on standby for the Indo/Trinidadian terms and dialect but soon enough, I caught the rhythm. The language, the food, the customs, the tension, all adds to the realness. And the supernatural elements? Think chooryle, bucks and douens...unapologetically Trini.
Some of the stories are hard, some of them are heartbreaking, but all of them feel real.
One of the many things I learnt in this book is of the tension between the Indians and blacks, its not the focus, but its there.
All in all this was a great read, one that teaches while it entertains.
December 3, 2025
Real Rating: 4.75* of five
The Publisher Says: An intricately woven tapestry of stories where survival, resilience and self-discovery are passed down through several generations of an Indo-Trinidadian family, Ever Since We Small is a sweeping epic that takes us from the days of the British Raj in India to multicultural modern Trinidad.
Written in a blend of Standard English and several flavors of Trinidad kriol, Ever Since We Small follows the bloodline of a young woman, Jayanti, following her decision to become a girmitiya, an indentured laborer in the Caribbean. The generational after-effects of this decision are seen in the lives of Jayanti's grandson, Lall, who seeks to escape the rural village where he was born, but instead becomes seduced and corrupted by urban life, and sis son, Shiva, who is forced to take a child-bride, Salma, but never recovers from the guilt. Heartache then follows for their three children, who must each find a way to accept and yet move past their parents' failed example.
Along the journey of these ten interconnected stories, the alchemy necessary to turn the family's inheritance of pain into a "generation of gold" requires intervention by the living and dead, the "real" and the mythical, the mundane and the magical, the secular and the sacred.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: In January 2024 I reviewed Pleasantview, the first braided-stories collection from the author. Like this work, it used Standard English interspersed with Trinidad and Tobago's kriols, as that's how the colonizers' language is used in that social setting. Each tongue has its place, each comes into play at certain conversational inflection points.
That will be a problem for some readers; I batten on it. It feels less like I'm reading a novel than listening in on life as the characters are living it. That makes the read feel more immediate, more as though it is happening not being reported after it's over. Quite a feat for a book!
I'll modify the Bryce Method of reporting on each story because the stories are more like ten chapters than ten self-contained, completely satisfying narratives. Again, this is to me a feature not a bug; but for others it might feel like a deal-breaker...or -maker for some.
I'll modify the Bryce Method of reporting on each story because the stories are more like ten chapters than ten self-contained, completely satisfying narratives. Again, this is to me a feature not a bug; but for others it might feel like a deal-breaker...or -maker for some.
THEN 1899-2000
The Legend of Jayanti treats the matter of the ancestral matriarch with the plainspoken matter-of-factness it does not deserve...this is drama enough to sustain a three-act opera! In the story, a young widow declines to satisfy her husband's family honor by committing sati , which you can look up yourselves. She instead leaves the Raj for indenture in the colony of Trinidad and Tobago. On the trip she meets and marries a man who fathers the line of descendants we're following here. 5*
Outsiders follows Shiva, their great-grandson, as he incurs a supernatural curse. He accidentally drowns a "buck" and is doomed from then on.
Godfrey's Revenge sees Shiva reap the terrible price of his carelessness. He and his child bride, Salma, are destitute; he's maimed; and he's racked with guilt over his role in the victimization of Salma. Doesn't have the wherewithal to refuse, but guilt is its own punishment.
Sundar Larki brutally finishes Shiva's curse for his crime against the buck. Here he commits more horrifying acts, truly repugnant ones that are explained but not excused by his being under a curse. The three Shiva stories as a unit merit 5*
NOW 2000-2017
The Visitation treats Shiva and Salma's daughter Abby's anxiety about her dark skin as she prepares to meet her white American boyfriend in the flesh for the first time. It's a gut-punch. Are women only to be judged by their attractiveness to men? Are darker-skinned people inherently less attractive because the Western mass media landscape promotes whiteness as The Standard? Are white men, of necessity, exoticizing darker-skinned women, and is this inherently victimization? None of these are explicitly asked, but they are very much there in the narrative. Answers...well...the questions matter far more. 5*
The title story, Terre Brulée,Goat-Mouth, Star Girl, and The Gospel According to Boisey, all have their own delights. None merited less than four stars, which is why the collection as a whole gets almost all five stars. I encourage all y'all to get on this bandwagon now, preorder one...they'll send a Kindle sample to you if you want to try the waters...but please get this marvelous exploration of the way humans relate to Others, and how deeply that shapes every conversation we have, knowingly or unknowingly.
Celeste Mohammed helps us think through the settler-colonial mindset by showing us in these lives the many ways it simply replicates itself, a malign meme of judgment that relentlessly pushes some down so others can stand on their backs.
Strongly, strongly recommended.
The Publisher Says: An intricately woven tapestry of stories where survival, resilience and self-discovery are passed down through several generations of an Indo-Trinidadian family, Ever Since We Small is a sweeping epic that takes us from the days of the British Raj in India to multicultural modern Trinidad.
Written in a blend of Standard English and several flavors of Trinidad kriol, Ever Since We Small follows the bloodline of a young woman, Jayanti, following her decision to become a girmitiya, an indentured laborer in the Caribbean. The generational after-effects of this decision are seen in the lives of Jayanti's grandson, Lall, who seeks to escape the rural village where he was born, but instead becomes seduced and corrupted by urban life, and sis son, Shiva, who is forced to take a child-bride, Salma, but never recovers from the guilt. Heartache then follows for their three children, who must each find a way to accept and yet move past their parents' failed example.
Along the journey of these ten interconnected stories, the alchemy necessary to turn the family's inheritance of pain into a "generation of gold" requires intervention by the living and dead, the "real" and the mythical, the mundane and the magical, the secular and the sacred.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: In January 2024 I reviewed Pleasantview, the first braided-stories collection from the author. Like this work, it used Standard English interspersed with Trinidad and Tobago's kriols, as that's how the colonizers' language is used in that social setting. Each tongue has its place, each comes into play at certain conversational inflection points.
That will be a problem for some readers; I batten on it. It feels less like I'm reading a novel than listening in on life as the characters are living it. That makes the read feel more immediate, more as though it is happening not being reported after it's over. Quite a feat for a book!
I'll modify the Bryce Method of reporting on each story because the stories are more like ten chapters than ten self-contained, completely satisfying narratives. Again, this is to me a feature not a bug; but for others it might feel like a deal-breaker...or -maker for some.
I'll modify the Bryce Method of reporting on each story because the stories are more like ten chapters than ten self-contained, completely satisfying narratives. Again, this is to me a feature not a bug; but for others it might feel like a deal-breaker...or -maker for some.
THEN 1899-2000
The Legend of Jayanti treats the matter of the ancestral matriarch with the plainspoken matter-of-factness it does not deserve...this is drama enough to sustain a three-act opera! In the story, a young widow declines to satisfy her husband's family honor by committing sati , which you can look up yourselves. She instead leaves the Raj for indenture in the colony of Trinidad and Tobago. On the trip she meets and marries a man who fathers the line of descendants we're following here. 5*
Outsiders follows Shiva, their great-grandson, as he incurs a supernatural curse. He accidentally drowns a "buck" and is doomed from then on.
Godfrey's Revenge sees Shiva reap the terrible price of his carelessness. He and his child bride, Salma, are destitute; he's maimed; and he's racked with guilt over his role in the victimization of Salma. Doesn't have the wherewithal to refuse, but guilt is its own punishment.
Sundar Larki brutally finishes Shiva's curse for his crime against the buck. Here he commits more horrifying acts, truly repugnant ones that are explained but not excused by his being under a curse. The three Shiva stories as a unit merit 5*
NOW 2000-2017
The Visitation treats Shiva and Salma's daughter Abby's anxiety about her dark skin as she prepares to meet her white American boyfriend in the flesh for the first time. It's a gut-punch. Are women only to be judged by their attractiveness to men? Are darker-skinned people inherently less attractive because the Western mass media landscape promotes whiteness as The Standard? Are white men, of necessity, exoticizing darker-skinned women, and is this inherently victimization? None of these are explicitly asked, but they are very much there in the narrative. Answers...well...the questions matter far more. 5*
The title story, Terre Brulée,Goat-Mouth, Star Girl, and The Gospel According to Boisey, all have their own delights. None merited less than four stars, which is why the collection as a whole gets almost all five stars. I encourage all y'all to get on this bandwagon now, preorder one...they'll send a Kindle sample to you if you want to try the waters...but please get this marvelous exploration of the way humans relate to Others, and how deeply that shapes every conversation we have, knowingly or unknowingly.
Celeste Mohammed helps us think through the settler-colonial mindset by showing us in these lives the many ways it simply replicates itself, a malign meme of judgment that relentlessly pushes some down so others can stand on their backs.
Strongly, strongly recommended.
August 14, 2025
[gifted] Ever Since We Small is a tale of generational trauma, following a lineage that starts in India and ends in Trinidad & Tobago. I’d describe this book as the domino effect in action - the result of each person’s actions affects the generations to come.
I really enjoyed that the introduction to this tale starts with colonialism. In Book 1, Celeste Mohammed touches on the cultural expectations of Indian women within the home and the public sphere, and how this pushes one to take the opportunity to be an indentured servant in T&T in the hopes of freedom. She, of course, also tells us of the false pretences surrounding this, promised by British colonisers.
The rest of the story is the result of this woman’s choices, following her lineage and their life as Indians in T&T. We understand the indigenous population’s attitude toward Indians, and visa versa, and the way these differences undercurrent the conflicts throughout the plot.
The demonisation of darker skin partly drives the narrative - from marriage to death we see how this can change the trajectory of one’s life.
Mohammed makes women a focus of this story too. She shows us how women suffer at the hands of men - Indian and Trini alike - who are never presented as saviours. Domestic Violence paired with the view of women as submissive is a consistent theme pushes the narrative forward. It’s an area of trauma we see repeated across generations.
Book 2 was enjoyable to see T&T in the present day. We learn that some attitudes have progressed but others, like darker skin considered unattractive, have not. We also see postcolonial attitudes arise, with white men exoticising Trini women. I enjoyed reading how these characters were trying to cling on to their lineage and end the cycle of trauma, depsite the hurt along the way.
Overall, Mohammed beautifully presents T&T as the melting pot of cultures that it is. We see this through the different cultural attitudes, the food they eat, and the mixture of religions (Islam, Christianity & Spiritualism), and folklore. Many of these factors clash throughout the story which drives areas of conflict. This tension was great to read and so insightful.
Reading this in Kriol was also gorgeous - it grounds you right there with the characters.
Book 1 was more enticing to me than Book 2.
I will say that the final chapter feels unnecessary - the tale could’ve ended with the penultimate chapter. There was also a mixture of footnotes and direct translations within the text; it does feel a bit mismatched. And finally, to be nitpicky, the 3rd chapter mentions a Pakistani great grandfather; Pakistan as a country wouldn’t have existed at that time so being specific about an ethnicity within the region might have been a better option.
This was truely a joy to read and so well done considering the number of stories and characters it weaves together. I’d recommend to anyone interested in learning more on Indo-Carribean culture!
I really enjoyed that the introduction to this tale starts with colonialism. In Book 1, Celeste Mohammed touches on the cultural expectations of Indian women within the home and the public sphere, and how this pushes one to take the opportunity to be an indentured servant in T&T in the hopes of freedom. She, of course, also tells us of the false pretences surrounding this, promised by British colonisers.
The rest of the story is the result of this woman’s choices, following her lineage and their life as Indians in T&T. We understand the indigenous population’s attitude toward Indians, and visa versa, and the way these differences undercurrent the conflicts throughout the plot.
The demonisation of darker skin partly drives the narrative - from marriage to death we see how this can change the trajectory of one’s life.
Mohammed makes women a focus of this story too. She shows us how women suffer at the hands of men - Indian and Trini alike - who are never presented as saviours. Domestic Violence paired with the view of women as submissive is a consistent theme pushes the narrative forward. It’s an area of trauma we see repeated across generations.
Book 2 was enjoyable to see T&T in the present day. We learn that some attitudes have progressed but others, like darker skin considered unattractive, have not. We also see postcolonial attitudes arise, with white men exoticising Trini women. I enjoyed reading how these characters were trying to cling on to their lineage and end the cycle of trauma, depsite the hurt along the way.
Overall, Mohammed beautifully presents T&T as the melting pot of cultures that it is. We see this through the different cultural attitudes, the food they eat, and the mixture of religions (Islam, Christianity & Spiritualism), and folklore. Many of these factors clash throughout the story which drives areas of conflict. This tension was great to read and so insightful.
Reading this in Kriol was also gorgeous - it grounds you right there with the characters.
Book 1 was more enticing to me than Book 2.
I will say that the final chapter feels unnecessary - the tale could’ve ended with the penultimate chapter. There was also a mixture of footnotes and direct translations within the text; it does feel a bit mismatched. And finally, to be nitpicky, the 3rd chapter mentions a Pakistani great grandfather; Pakistan as a country wouldn’t have existed at that time so being specific about an ethnicity within the region might have been a better option.
This was truely a joy to read and so well done considering the number of stories and characters it weaves together. I’d recommend to anyone interested in learning more on Indo-Carribean culture!
October 13, 2025
Absolutely amazing. I think every Trinidadian person needs to read this book. It feels so deeply personal and real. this could very much be the story on my distant relative from Woodland. I really enjoyed the historical accuracy in Jayanti’s story and even the accuracy of Indo-Trinidadian people believing we know more about our ancestors than our Afro-Trinidadian counterparts but really so much of our history has been retold from a colonial and patriarchal viewpoint that it barely qualifies as the truth. I have read lots of Mohammed’s source materials for my own masters studies and i really enjoyed that she delved deep into Indo-Caribbean feminist research (also very nice to have a note at the start from Dr. Outar).
The magical realism can be a little confusing but it was an absolutely brilliant way to wrap up the book. I read some other reviews that said they wished there was more of a conclusion about the siblings reunion but learning from Pleasantview it’s evident that Mohammed leaves her book endings up for interpretation. I also unexpectedly learned kiskadee lore i had no idea about and the book cover makes absolute sense to me.
Lastly, Nadia is an absolute badass and exactly what her mother and great great grandmother would have wanted her to be.
I will be recommending and forcing everyone around me to read this book. Defintely my favourite Caribbean release in the last few years.
The magical realism can be a little confusing but it was an absolutely brilliant way to wrap up the book. I read some other reviews that said they wished there was more of a conclusion about the siblings reunion but learning from Pleasantview it’s evident that Mohammed leaves her book endings up for interpretation. I also unexpectedly learned kiskadee lore i had no idea about and the book cover makes absolute sense to me.
Lastly, Nadia is an absolute badass and exactly what her mother and great great grandmother would have wanted her to be.
I will be recommending and forcing everyone around me to read this book. Defintely my favourite Caribbean release in the last few years.
November 27, 2025
“Three generations of silver and one of gold…”
Mohammed’s short stories follows the generations that come after Jayanti, a young devoted bride who after her husband’s death changes her mind about his family’s wishes to burn in the fire with him. She finds refuge on a boat sailing to Trinidad where she believes, her life would be different.
These ten short stories reel you in, filled with culture, magical realism and family dynamics. Mohammed touches on the realities of life through arranged marriage, abuse, alcoholism and even murder. Her stories hold depth, but also has an element of comic relief so that you aren’t so caught up in the severity of it all.
I felt for Salma, a thirteen year old bride without a choice. Then later on her kids who through their father’s abuse were separated from each other and forced to do life with a hole that they did not know how to fill.
Mohammed’s stories really tug at you and brings to the forefront the choices one makes in life. Shiva had a choice in everything he did and each time he made the wrong one. Definitely a thought provoking read.
Mohammed’s short stories follows the generations that come after Jayanti, a young devoted bride who after her husband’s death changes her mind about his family’s wishes to burn in the fire with him. She finds refuge on a boat sailing to Trinidad where she believes, her life would be different.
These ten short stories reel you in, filled with culture, magical realism and family dynamics. Mohammed touches on the realities of life through arranged marriage, abuse, alcoholism and even murder. Her stories hold depth, but also has an element of comic relief so that you aren’t so caught up in the severity of it all.
I felt for Salma, a thirteen year old bride without a choice. Then later on her kids who through their father’s abuse were separated from each other and forced to do life with a hole that they did not know how to fill.
Mohammed’s stories really tug at you and brings to the forefront the choices one makes in life. Shiva had a choice in everything he did and each time he made the wrong one. Definitely a thought provoking read.
November 28, 2025
I like to read all the books I can get my hands on by Indo-Trinidadian authors, and this is the latest book by Celeste Mohammed, who is also a lawyer. I loved the way she played a bit with form in this novel, so that the book is also described as ten interconnected stories, and not a straight chronological telling of a sweeping generational family saga. I might have to read the book again for it all to sink in properly. It starts with Jayanti, who was a young widow in India, and the story of how she became an indentured labourer in Trinidad instead of ending up on her husband's funeral pyre. Four generations later, three siblings have become estranged from their birth family due to family violence. The author also weaves in some Trinidadian folklore, which means that sometimes the story wanders between the real and the mythical. Definitely Mohammed is a story-teller to follow!
June 8, 2025
Following the trajectory of a family lineage from India to present-day Trinidad, Mohammed addresses the ways in which Caribbean people – in particular, Indo-Trinidadians - continue to grapple with neocolonial vestiges that brutally harm and resist eradication. With her skillful prose and wonderful delineation of characters, Mohammed pulls us into the lives of ordinary people who must face grave traumas and somehow still maintain hope.
January 1, 2026
A family story told across multiple decades, each chapter told from the perspective of a different family member.
Chapter 2 was a struggle for me as a non-Trini, but I pushed through and terms/expressions became more clear as the novel progressed. My favorite chapter was Nadya's (Nadia's), as her spitfire personality came shining through, and as she spoke her mother's blessing for her to life without realizing the hope that her mother bore for her many years earlier.
Chapter 2 was a struggle for me as a non-Trini, but I pushed through and terms/expressions became more clear as the novel progressed. My favorite chapter was Nadya's (Nadia's), as her spitfire personality came shining through, and as she spoke her mother's blessing for her to life without realizing the hope that her mother bore for her many years earlier.
September 23, 2025
If you liked Homegoing, you’ll definitely want to check out Ever Since We Small.
The story begins with Jayanti, whose husband has passed away. His family blames her for his death, and when the chance comes to leave for Trinidad, she takes it. On that journey she experiences something traumatic, and from there we follow the generations after her, her son, her grandson, and then his children. Each of them is navigating their own lives, but you can feel how the past keeps shaping their choices.
It’s very much a family saga, showing how the choices, pain, and secrets of the past keep shaping the lives that come after. One of the storylines that really stood out to me was Jayanti’s great-grandson, Shiva. He’s pressured into marrying Salma, who is much younger than him, and he carries a lot of guilt about it. That guilt seeps into the marriage and into the way he treats her, and their children are left trying to redefine love and relationships beyond the broken example they grew up with.
The characters had so much depth, and I loved the cultural references that shaped who they were. Celeste Mohammed knows how to tell a story with so much heart, I honestly couldn’t put this book down.
This one is definitely going to stay with me.
The story begins with Jayanti, whose husband has passed away. His family blames her for his death, and when the chance comes to leave for Trinidad, she takes it. On that journey she experiences something traumatic, and from there we follow the generations after her, her son, her grandson, and then his children. Each of them is navigating their own lives, but you can feel how the past keeps shaping their choices.
It’s very much a family saga, showing how the choices, pain, and secrets of the past keep shaping the lives that come after. One of the storylines that really stood out to me was Jayanti’s great-grandson, Shiva. He’s pressured into marrying Salma, who is much younger than him, and he carries a lot of guilt about it. That guilt seeps into the marriage and into the way he treats her, and their children are left trying to redefine love and relationships beyond the broken example they grew up with.
The characters had so much depth, and I loved the cultural references that shaped who they were. Celeste Mohammed knows how to tell a story with so much heart, I honestly couldn’t put this book down.
This one is definitely going to stay with me.
July 6, 2025
I took longer than usual to finish this book as there was understood trauma in certain chapters. I needed some mental breaks. But these words in the book healed me….”every curse and every blessing is quickened the the ears….But a word of forgiveness restores life”
Go read this book!
Go read this book!
November 11, 2025
Omg, the tears that flowed reading this to the end! Such a stunning and important read from so many angles. I need to digest and come back to this to review it properly but I needed this, thank you to Celeste Mohammed for being such a credit to the literary world.
October 22, 2025
representation of indo-caribbean identities and feminisms that i never thought i'd read
it feels so close to me
it feels so close to me
June 24, 2025
3.5? stars
Ever Since We Small by Celeste Mohammed traces the history of a family from India to Trinidad and Tobago through indentureship. This book is a collection of short stories focusing on different family members or people close to the family that collects to tell one big overarching family story. I enjoyed the book - I'm a huge fan of short stories connecting to each other. I think it's fun to guess at who's who and what's going to happen.
The magical realism elements of the novel were great in the beginning. However the ending (of the book and last story) reminded me of a child's moral-ish bedtime story. I do think Mohammed does a great job of weaving those elements throughout the story, but I would have like to see it even more in the middle of the book/middle stories. I do like that Mohammed asks the question: when does the cycle of
Mohammed writing draws you in. I consumed each of the stories - I would have liked one or two stories to fill in the earlier 20th century. I enjoyed the language element of the book. Mohammed writes hindi(?) phrases into the text, not always with a translation beside it. I enjoy that author liberty when I see it in books.
I can't put my finger on it but something was missing for me. I don't know if I wanted more hope or reconciliation throughout the book. Or perhaps a more concrete ending - particularly between the siblings. If it comes to me I'll come back here.
Ever Since We Small by Celeste Mohammed traces the history of a family from India to Trinidad and Tobago through indentureship. This book is a collection of short stories focusing on different family members or people close to the family that collects to tell one big overarching family story. I enjoyed the book - I'm a huge fan of short stories connecting to each other. I think it's fun to guess at who's who and what's going to happen.
The magical realism elements of the novel were great in the beginning. However the ending (of the book and last story) reminded me of a child's moral-ish bedtime story. I do think Mohammed does a great job of weaving those elements throughout the story, but I would have like to see it even more in the middle of the book/middle stories. I do like that Mohammed asks the question: when does the cycle of
Mohammed writing draws you in. I consumed each of the stories - I would have liked one or two stories to fill in the earlier 20th century. I enjoyed the language element of the book. Mohammed writes hindi(?) phrases into the text, not always with a translation beside it. I enjoy that author liberty when I see it in books.
I can't put my finger on it but something was missing for me. I don't know if I wanted more hope or reconciliation throughout the book. Or perhaps a more concrete ending - particularly between the siblings. If it comes to me I'll come back here.
December 18, 2025
We follow generations of an Indo-Trinidadian family starting with Jayanti’s journey and how her decision goes on to affect all of the Gopaul family and the struggles of her descendants in modern day. The story spans from 19th century India to modern day Trinidad.
A vivid, emotionally layered story that feels warm and complex. We are shown a journey of interconnected stories and how pain is inherited. Bonds are tested by love, loss, secrets and the weight of choices made long before the consequences were understood.
Questions are posed to the reader about memory, identity and what it means to carry forward the stories of those who came before us. The book reflects the weight of heritage and how we heal across time.
For this one I had to have my mum on interpretation (for all the old Hindi words) & google translate nearby 🤣 the dialogue is rich and the cultural text immersive.
If you enjoy character-driven Caribbean fiction and inter generational stories this is one for you. 🌺🌴
A vivid, emotionally layered story that feels warm and complex. We are shown a journey of interconnected stories and how pain is inherited. Bonds are tested by love, loss, secrets and the weight of choices made long before the consequences were understood.
Questions are posed to the reader about memory, identity and what it means to carry forward the stories of those who came before us. The book reflects the weight of heritage and how we heal across time.
For this one I had to have my mum on interpretation (for all the old Hindi words) & google translate nearby 🤣 the dialogue is rich and the cultural text immersive.
If you enjoy character-driven Caribbean fiction and inter generational stories this is one for you. 🌺🌴
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