Allah in the Islands

by Brenda Flanagan

With a mature and accomplished voice, this novel explores the growth in presence of radical Islam within the <!--? prefix = st1 ns = "" /-->Caribbean. Under the shadow of corporate imperialism, complete with disenfranchised islanders, corrupt government ministers, and scheming U.S.-oil companies, Beatrice Salandy finds love with Adbul, a man who is second in command in a rising radical Muslim movement. With welfare schemes, grass-roots campaigning, and an air of incorruptibility, the movement becomes wildly popular with the island’s poorest classes. But as events unfold, Beatrice begins to question Adbul’s sincerity and honesty, and he becomes a fascinatingly unreliable voice in this moving and timely novel.

220 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

http://www.peepaltreepress.com/author...

Reviews

[Nadine Hunt]

Allah in the Islands is a story about a poor community on the fictional island of Santabella (T&T) in the town of Rosehill a town struggling to survive against crime and a heartless government. Rosehill soon finds itself becoming charged with a new element: Islam and it charismatic leader. The community isn't sure if this means freedom and change or something more ominous. Beatrice, the heroine of the story has just won her case and upon release from jail, comes upon a changing community. We explore this changing world through the eyes of Beatrice and another character named Abdul. Through Beatrice’s eyes, you’ll meet the charismatic Haji as he sets up a nation of Islam on Santabella. We also see another side of the story through Abdul, a young follower of Haji. The story also follows a myriad of characters in and around Beatrice’s life and their varying views. Beatrice, an outspoken and strong young woman, tries to navigate her life through pains of the past and an uncertain future. On her journey, she finds herself torn between the mysterious world of Islam and pursuing her own future dreams and goals. Abdul is an eager follower of Haji, who believes that Islam is the answer for Santabella. It’s in the midst of all the social changes, we also find a love triangle forming between Beatrice, the Muslim leader Haji, Haji’s trusted assistant Abdul, and Beatrice’s old friend Sonny. As we follow Beatrice and Abdul’s journey we find some decisions in life aren’t easy and we may have to live with them for the rest of our lives. The novel glosses over the failed coup attempt and impacts on the people of Santabella (T&T)

[Rol-J Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important account of the societal rot that existed leading up to the 1990 coup in Trinidad and Tobago

This started out as a slow read for me, but it definitely picked up. Coincidentally, I read this in the month of July, and the 27th of July will mark the 33rd anniversary of the attempted coup. While there were areas of this novel where I got the impression that the author was sympathetic of the actions of the coup leaders, areas where I felt she glorified insurgency, yet other areas where she seemingly mocked Islam and the tenets the insurgents exemplified, I think this novel did a wonderful job of demonstrating the poverty, crime and violence, and corruption that existed in Trinidad (called Santabella in the novel) leading up to July 27th 1990. As the author pointed out in the novel, it was this decay that led many to find hope in religion and allowed them to be manipulated to the extent that they would be willing to take up arms against the state.

It is a relatively short novel, and I wanted the author to tell us a bit more about what happened in the aftermath of the attempted coup. Nonetheless, an important retelling of the history, and a good source of sober reflection on the inadequacies of our governance structures to correct the things that led these insurgents to take up arms in the first place. A recommended read.

[Amanda Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel from beginning to end. The 1990 attempted coup in Trinidad is fairly recent history - nearly 34 years ago as I type this. And 'Allah in the Islands' feels like historical fiction. As with much historical fiction that I've read, you do wonder where the fictitious account begins to deviate from the historical fact and to what extent.

The narrative will now, as is inevitable, colour my imagination, as fictitious narrative blurs with documented facts.

As someone who lived in Trinidad in the years during which this story is set, the viewpoints of the various characters are familiar to me, and I can't help but wonder how much of the Rosehill community reaction and relationship with Hajji's group was inspired by direct interviews with real people, and how much of the events that occur in this novel happened in a different fashion in actual fact? Were wayward young men 're-trained' harshly in the manner Yusuf was? Were there insider spies like Bilal? Had elements of the army offered to help? Were there external forces pulling Hajji's strings?

Strangely enough, this novel doesn't have an outstanding protagonist. Beatrice and Abdul are the protagonists of sorts. Ultimately, Beatrice makes a decision and Abdul gets lucky. Both seem to have a development arc, even if Abdul merely gains some insight. Maybe Abdul as a character is chiefly a device to convey the story from a particular point of view. But the unstoppable character seems to be the force that Hajji has brought through his 'movement' and its destination.

[Gerry LaFemina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brenda Flanagan's Allah in the Islands continues the story of Beatrice from her novel You Alone are Dancing, and returns us to the Caribbean Island of Santabella. Filled with political and emotional intrigue, the novel explores how the personal, the communal, the political, and the religious can all intersect.