I noticed that I hadn't actually came back to review this, so I feel like I should.

First, there are not nearly enough books set in the Caribbean or in a setting that even resembles the Caribbean. Maybe I got super lucky in hearing about it at some point, but I almost never run across books set there (unless it's some deserted island theme where everyone is stuck there because of... a plane crash or faulty boat, which also applies to Polynesian islands). That alone makes this interesting.

Second, one of the complaints I most often read/hear is of language. Do not, under any circumstance, complain about that because it is an absurd complaint that is often laced with racism and ethnocentrism, connected to an unwillingness to try. Yes, for people unfamiliar with any dialect/creole, it can be more difficult to read a novel written entirely in that dialect/creole; it takes time to get accustomed to it, to learn it, to understand it. But once you actually put in the effort to learn it and integrate that knowledge into your mind, it makes everything so much better, more interesting, more genuine. It's part of the world, and it makes you feel like you're part of that world, too.

From the outset, the one thing I never expected was a theme around sexual assault and its impacts. Not only that, but it weaves through interconnected themes and actions that can sometimes accompany sexual assault: incest and domestic abuse. More than just that, it shows the varying responses by the community to such a thing, ranging from the knowledge that people have to the actions people take to make even a small difference. And it completes everything by showing how Tan-Tan responds to everything and is able to survive.

The settings and world-building in this book are among some of my favourite; they still stick with me quite a lot and are a large part of why I consistently recommend this book to people. Everything feels so well-crafted that it makes me wish I could actually just play a game to exist within the world. Perhaps Nalo Hopkinson should take on the gaming world, teaming up to help build something reminiscent of her novels.

I don't know that any review can do this book justice, but it's something that I quite enjoyed and would recommend to anyone.