Earth's Waters

Harriette Leacock, known as Lily, lives in Barbados with the grandmother she calls Mother. The sea offers relief from an isolated home life and from the contempt directed at her because of her absent mother. At the beach she meets Colvin Edwards and is drawn into a relationship that becomes violent and increasingly dangerous. When Colvin is connected to a crime that shakes the island, Lily must decide whether to remain passive or claim control of her future. Nicole Blades's novel uses Bajan setting and dialect to explore abuse, inherited shame, friendship, and self-determination.