Ma William and Her Circle of Friends is the story of a Caribbean village and its people as portrayed by a shopkeeper, Ma William, and her “trusted” friends. Through the eyes and the mouths of these people, we understand the conditions of life—in its varying aspects—that the villagers deal with on a daily basis. We see the political, social, religious, educational and economic challenges these people face and how they try to survive—the ways in which they deal with the ups and downs of everyday life in a village where things are quickly changing. Ma William and Her Circle of Friends is also the story of a woman around whom many situations revolve. She has to try to remain level-headed while dealing with her own emotions and crises: her wavering political decisions; the death of her mother; the distrust of her fellow villagers; and the uncertainty that surrounds her family as her daughter heads off to college in a foreign—and communist—country. Ma William and Her Circle of Friends is a snapshot of life in Dominica and the Caribbean at large as its people adapt to the constant and rapid changes that engulf them.
Tags: book, fiction, Caribbean, folklore, village, Dominica, shop
