Simona Taylor and Val Belgrave have been joined by the new Trinidadian romance writer on the block. Donna-Mae Greaves' new novel At Last, published by Soul Write Publishing, is replete with local feel, yet also has international appeal because of its techy sub themes. The book is the story of Trinidadian woman who falls in love with her Internet boyfriend who lives in New York. Greer, a plump, beautiful advertising maven, is instantly drawn to Tr�, who turns out to be gorgeous, rich and ready to settle down. (It is fiction, after all.)
With an easy, conversational style of writing Greaves weaves a gentle tale simply and effectively. Though the book seems carelessly edited–for example, a reference to bake and shark is followed by the words, "What's this about?" in brackets–Greaves' writing is clean, clear and rooted in her environment.
She has an admirable ease with describing the mechanics of Greer and Tr�'s families, and much of her dialogue is smooth and authentic. At Last opens at the end of the story and backtracks to the start of the happily-ever-after tale.
However, unlike a typical Harlequin romance, Tr� is neither bitter, repressed, secretly married or otherwise impeded; nor is Greer passive-aggressive, orphaned, or at all in dire straits. There is no rival for her affection or his; there's no fussing over where they'll end up living. In short, there is little or no conflict to keep the story interesting. However, this is Greaves' first book. With luck and persistence, and perhaps better editing, her future efforts will yield the bounty promised by this virgin voyage. At Last is available at book stores.
(Lisa Allen-Agostini is the author of The Chalice Project, published by Macmillan Caribbean, and co-editor of Trinidad Noir, published by Akashic Books.)
