Children of Sisyphus, the PB
by Orlando Patterson
Publication Date: Dec 30, 2011
List Price: $24.95
Format: Paperback, 224 pages
Classification: Fiction
ISBN13: 9781845230944
Imprint: Peepal Tree Press
Publisher: Peepal Tree Press
Parent Company: Peepal Tree Press Ltd.
Description of Children of Sisyphus, the PB by Orlando Patterson
A bleak portrayal of life on the Dungle—the rubbish heap where the very poorest squat—this beautifully poetic, existentialist novel turns an unwavering eye to life in the Jamaican ghetto. By interweaving the stories of Dinah, a prostitute who can never quite escape the circumstances of her life, and Brother Solomon, a respected Rastafarian leader who allows his followers to think that a ship is on its way to take them home to Ethiopia, this brutally poetic story creates intense and tragic characters who struggle to come to grips with the absurdity of life. As these downtrodden protagonists shed their illusions and expectations, they realize that there is no escape from meaninglessness, and eventually gain a special kind of dignity and stoic awareness about life and the universe.