News & Features » April 2016 » EVENT ALERT: Even in Paradise launch event @ Center for Fiction!

EVENT ALERT: Even in Paradise launch event @ Center for Fiction!

New York: Join us Thursday, April 14, at the Center for Fiction (17 E. 47th St.) to celebrate the release of Even in Paradise, the latest novel by award-winning author Elizabeth Nunez! The event starts at 7:00 PM. Click here to RSVP on Facebook, and here to see if Elizabeth Nunez is coming to a city near you.

Praise for Even in Paradise:

“An epic tale of family betrayal and manipulation couched in superbly engaging prose and peopled with deftly drawn characters. In a story structure as rhythmic as the ebb and flow of the water surrounding Trinidad and Barbados, this revisiting of the classic story of King Lear becomes a subtle, organic exploration of politics, class, race, and privilege. A dazzling, epic triumph.”
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred review

“[Narrator] Émile remarks on parallels to King Lear repeatedly, but there is much more to unpack here. The issue of racism is woven throughout, as are regional problems such as access to Barbados’s beaches and poverty in Jamaica’s Tivoli Gardens. This is also a celebration of the arts, culture, and natural beauty of the islands. Shakespeare’s work is a tragedy, but for Émile ‘the future shimmers before [him] full of wondrous possibilities.’ Nunez treats her source material with a deft touch, making this story impressive in its own right.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Nunez’s textured and engaging novel explores familial discord, along with questions of kinship and self-identity. . . . With a nod to King Lear, Nunez crafts an introspective tale as her vividly drawn characters navigate complications of heritage, race, and loyalty.”
—Booklist

“Nunez has written a Caribbean reimagining of King Lear that adds colonialism and racism to the story of three sisters, the men they love and their battle over the deed to their father’s beloved property. Themes of greed, jealousy and resentment play out after their father confuses flattery with love and disowns his favorite daughter.”
—Ms. Magazine

“Even in Paradise is Caribbean drama as grand epic. Nunez, always a master of unexpected contrasts, does it here again. A story told on a huge scale that still manages to be achingly personal and intimate.”
—Marlon James, author of A Brief History of Seven Killings

Peter Ducksworth, a Trinidadian widower of English ancestry, retires to Barbados, believing he will find an earthly paradise there. He decides to divide his land among his three daughters while he is alive, his intention not unlike that of King Lear, who hoped “That future strife / May be prevented now.” But Lear made the fatal mistake of confusing flattery with love, and so does Ducksworth. Feeling snubbed by his youngest daughter, Ducksworth decides that only after he dies will she receive her portion of the land. In the meantime, he gives his two older daughters their portions, ironically setting in motion the very strife he hoped to prevent.

Beautifully written in elegant prose, this is a novel about greed, resentment, jealousy, betrayal, and romantic love in the postcolonial world of the Caribbean, giving us a diverse cast of characters of African, Indian, Chinese, Syrian/Lebanese, and English ancestry.

Posted: Apr 7, 2016

Category: News | Tags: Book event, Center for Fiction, Elizabeth Nunez, Even in Paradise, event, Events, launch event, New York, New York City, NYC