The struggle to define oneself and one's relationship with one's surroundings and to deal with the complexities of love as well as the fears of illness and death are dramatically illustrated in this novel. Set in Jamaica in 1978 and relayed in the lyrical cadences of island English (which becomes progressively less obtrusive), Powell's second work focuses on Dale, a young gay man who is attempting to deal with a world that seems to be crashing down around him. A long-term relationship begins to disintegrate, while a friend, whose mother disowned him when he came out (a rejection he stubbornly denies), comes down with a mysterious, seemingly untreatable illness. As Dale becomes more and more aware of the hypocrisy of his neighbors, he is torn between hope and despair, jealousy and yearning, and his very faith is threatened. His struggles reflect those we all face at some point. Deserving of a wide audience, this is essential for collections of Caribbean fiction and a good choice for metropolitan libraries serving a diverse clientele