LET ME LIBERATE YOU

An artist returns to Barbados to find her roots but becomes embroiled in controversy after a radio interview.

Sabre Cumberbatch has found fame as a photographer, being likened to Jean-Michel Basquiat despite the clear differences between her black-and-white work and his colorful paintings. But they’re both Black, right? Then, when the New York Times runs an interview with her in the style section instead of the arts section, Sabre begins to feel more alienated than usual and flees New York for Barbados, where she stays with her Aunt Aggie, her mother’s sister, and her family. Although Sabre immediately feels at ease on the island, she’s stepping into a hornet’s nest: Aggie, an attorney and longtime local doyenne who rules her home like a tyrant, has been caught cheating on her husband by her housekeeper. Aggie is keen to make the most of having a famous artist in the house and decides to throw a welcome home party for Sabre, but things go downhill from there. Sabre hears her aunt yell at some servers and refuse to tip them; a few days later, on an interview with a local radio station, she decides to speak out against the treatment of domestic workers in Barbados. Her speech launches the island into fervent debate, with Sabre emerging as a leading voice for a mistreated underclass she does not belong to herself. A satire of class, race, and savior complexes, the book draws richly on Bajan culture and customs. But at times the narrative drags, and for a satire, it tries to incorporate too many concerns—Sabre is dealing with her thoughts about fame, her family’s history, her current physical proximity to yet cultural alienation from Barbados. As a result, it can be hard to find the narrative’s focus.

An engaging and sometimes funny novel that tries to pull off too much.