Caribbean Chemistry: Tales from St. Kitts

by Christopher Vanier

“Ah, to be an embryo again.” Christopher’s story begins where we all begin: conception. This delightful piece of life writing, set on the Caribbean island of St Kitts, recalls the mischief of Christopher’s childhood: the stealing of his baby brother by a monkey, sneaking out to the cinema at night, throwing stones at a passing car, experimenting with dangerous acids and disastrous rockets, and playing sexual tennis. From his home in St. Kitts, to Antigua, and then to Washington he is buffeted by ethnic enigmas and colonial constraints. Is this boy lost in the alleyways of his island culture or can he turn his curiosity into the chemistry of survival? And at what cost? His drive to escape is paralleled by the island’s search for independence. This is a story of self-discovery, told candidly in language rich enough to eat: “Breadfruit, breadnut, bamboo, lignum vitae, marouba, weedee, and calabash.”

Funny and engaging – a story about breaking the barriers of identity and finding them again. A rare view of the emigrants’ tale.
Christopher Vanier retired from engineering to write. He has read at the British Institute of Paris and The American Library of Paris. In 2006 he was awarded first prize at the annual WICE Paris Writers’ Workshop. In the same year he won a fellowship to the Summer Literary Seminar in Kenya. In 1959, he was the Caribbean regional winner of the Sesquicentennial Lincoln Essay Contest; in 2009, he was a guest of honour at the Oxford Bicentennial Global Lincoln Conference. Christopher lived in Paris and now writes memoirs in Fontainebleau.

Genres: Nonfiction, Book Club

443 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Born on the island of St. Kitts, at the age of 17 the author won a Caribbean-wide literary prize organised by the USA to commemorate Abraham Lincoln’s 150th anniversary. He thought himself destined to be a writer, but a scholarship from Cambridge University made him opt instead for science. Ten years later, he began an engineering and information technology career in France, lasting until his retirement 35 years later. Returning to writing, he published his first memoir book in 2009, Caribbean Chemistry, on the identity problems of youth. He left Paris for Fontainebleau after the death of his wife, and dedicated this second memoir On the Run in Fontainebleau to navigating the perils of retirement.

Reviews

[Meaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating memoir of growing up in a loving family on a peaceful, beautiful, but ultimately suffocating island. Vanier clearly loved his homeland but in the end he saw the wisdom in getting away. This book covers his life up to age 19, at which time he set off for Cambridge University. You learn about mountain climbing in St. Kitts, the perils of owning a pet monkey, the cold atmosphere of Anglo-Caribbean boarding schools, the fierce competition for scholarships, and the deep limitations that (back then at least) were part and parcel with colonial life. Vanier's book (which, at around 400 pages of tiny print, may be a bit longer than necessary) is ultimately a love letter to St. Kitts, but you understand why he made the decision to leave.

[Rhoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my read the world selection for St Kitts and Nevis.

This book is the memoir of Christopher Vanier who was born in St Kitts in 1942 and lived there until he went off to university in England at the age of nineteen. The reader learns about life for a young person in St Kitts - including a lot about schooling, including that the author had to go to boarding school for a few years in Antigua.

I enjoyed the author’s storytelling style, which was detailed and quite witty. There is some language used that is not entirely appropriate now, however the author does note that these are now not spoken of in such a way, but were normal ways of speaking when he was growing up.

I went into this knowing next to nothing about St Kitts and Nevis, so it was interesting to learn about life on this small island and the even smaller island of Nevis, where the author’s family had a farm for a couple of years. I quite enjoyed this one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

[Roseake · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Tanu · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

St. Kitts and Nevis

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christopher Vanier was born in St. Kitts in 1942 and it was his home until he was went to university, although he also spent some years at boarding school in Antigua. This is his memoir of those years, from birth to adulthood.
He was an unruly and reckless boy, a lackadaisical scholar most of the time and a rather cocky teenager; we watch him growing up and he does not flinch from showing his immaturity. This is one of the best 'growing up on a small island' memoirs I have read, although I still find it sad that so many of these small countries export their talented young.
I found it difficult to decide whether he was being amusingly quirky and tongue-in-cheek or bitterly sarcastic at times, but he does try to keep a light tone for most of the book.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christopher Vanier grew up on the island of St. Kitts during the 40s and 50s. This is his story from birth until the age of 19. Vanier is a wonderful writer, and I hope he writes the sequel to this. I would love to know more of his story.
Vanier was a fearless child, craved adventure, very sure of himself and always looking to do something unusual. He was an indifferent student, but he was given the best education that was available. He also described his island beautifully.