Vunga

Book excerpt: Vunga, nicknamed for the mosquitos that make him ill year after year, lives on the Caribbean island of Grenada along with his many siblings. His penchant for mischief and the playground of nature around him get Vunga into all sorts of trouble, even when his favourite brother, Gabby, tries to tame some of his wilder impulses. Whether the boys are exploring sugar mills, trapping monstrous crabs, teaching parrots new words, or sneaking out to the movie house, the one constant is their unfailing friendship. In vivid vignettes rich with detail about life in twentieth-century Grenada, FRANK BANFIELD paints a picture of youthful escapades that did not come to pass. In this collection of stories inspired by his own memories, Banfield allows the fictional counterparts of his younger self and his late brother to live out these childhood adventures together at last.