Limbo: A Novel about Jamaica

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

A lyrically nostalgic exploration of the lives of three generations of women and the secrets that both bind them together and tear them apart. Raised by a single mother, Cassie finds herself in the same situation. As she struggles to make a life for herself and her own daughter, she comes to realize how society's idea of what a family should be has tainted her own relationships.

Reviews

"In Limbo, Esther Figueroa deftly navigates between steamy romance, backdoor deals and dangerous plunges into the inferno of Jamaicas environmental disasters. But the novels other side is its tender and evocative celebration of love, friendship, place and belonging.The author (like her heroine) emerges triumphant at the end of this breathtaking limbo dance. Despite its darker themes, the overriding humour and irreverence make for an enjoyable read. Limbo is a page-turner that will make you want to start all over again when you come to the end. In Esther Figueroas skilful hands, the tropical paradise is in Limbo but not yet lost. It should evoke in every reader a passionate desire to redeem what is left clinging to the exposed roots."
Olive Senior, author of Dancing Lessons

"More than a novel or rather what a novel cd or shd be an xQuisitely serious nativist imaginary composed in standard narrative & Jamaica speak & angst & hope & vision, wit and an urgent sense of justice breathing-till-it-burns but cool knowledge of her crisis country and its people. Limbo is not just word-saying but a world-saving allegiance to what some people call The Green. Her description of the source of the Martha Brae (witch & river), is one of the most lyric & healing moments in Caribbean literature."
Kamau Brathwaite, Poet, Professor Emeritus Caribbean Lit/Culture, New York University

"In this brave and witty new novel, Esther Figueroa takes us into the dark side of tourism's uncontrolled development. The work is intelligent, clear-eyed and unforgiving; Figueroa does not avert her gaze - the devastation of land and wildlife is harrowing. Esther's passionate concern for the future of Jamaica and the Caribbean, and ultimately for the future of our planet makes Limbo a landmark work of extraordinary importance."
Patricia Powell, author of The Pagoda and The Fullness of Everything
"In Limbo, Esther Figueroa deftly navigates between steamy romance, backdoor deals and dangerous plunges into the inferno of Jamaicas environmental disasters. But the novels other side is its tender and evocative celebration of love, friendship, place and belonging.The author (like her heroine) emerges triumphant at the end of this breathtaking limbo dance. Despite its darker themes, the overriding humour and irreverence make for an enjoyable read. Limbo is a page-turner that will make you want to start all over again when you come to the end. In Esther Figueroas skilful hands, the tropical paradise is in Limbo but not yet lost. It should evoke in every reader a passionate desire to redeem what is left clinging to the exposed roots."
Olive Senior, author of Dancing Lessons

"More than a novel or rather what a novel cd or shd be an xQuisitely serious nativist imaginary composed in standard narrative & Jamaica speak & angst & hope & vision, wit and an urgent sense of justice breathing-till-it-burns but cool knowledge of her crisis country and its people. Limbo is not just word-saying but a world-saving allegiance to what some people call The Green. Her description of the source of the Martha Brae (witch & river), is one of the most lyric & healing moments in Caribbean literature."
Kamau Brathwaite, Poet, Professor Emeritus Caribbean Lit/Culture, New York University

"In this brave and witty new novel, Esther Figueroa takes us into the dark side of tourism's uncontrolled development. The work is intelligent, clear-eyed and unforgiving; Figueroa does not avert her gaze - the devastation of land and wildlife is harrowing. Esther's passionate concern for the future of Jamaica and the Caribbean, and ultimately for the future of our planet makes Limbo a landmark work of extraordinary importance."
Patricia Powell, author of The Pagoda and The Fullness of Everything

Author Bio

Esther Figueroa: Esther Figueroa, PhD, is a Jamaican independent filmmaker, writer, and linguist. She has twenty-five years of experience in media production including documentaries, educational videos, television programming, music videos, multimedia, web content, and feature film. An activist filmmaker, she focuses on local knowledge, indigenous cultures, social injustice, community empowerment, and the environment. Her work gives voice to those outside of mainstream media, and aims to counter the dominant values, information, and worldviews portrayed in commercial media. She lives in Kingston, Jamaica.