The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey

ExcerptsĬHAPTER ONE The Blimp Every afternoon, around four, the iguana fell out of the coconut tree. Jane Housham George and Sabine leave England for the Caribbean island of Trinidad in 1956, just as Eric Williams is forming a nationalist movement which will soon take Trinidad and Tobago out of British control and into the difficult first years of independence. As for Williams, Sabine conceives a strange passion for him, writing unsent letters that act as a chorus on the dashed hopes and disappointments following his rise to power.

Sabine's relationships warp and distort: the island itself is her rival in George's affections. She hears Williams lecturing the Trinidadians on their history of slavery and exploitation, rousing them to self-determination - Williams is a hero, yet he wants to destroy her and all she stands for. As George redefines himself as a 'somebody', buying land and naming it after himself, Sabine feels increasingly uncomfortable with her place in island society - and in its history. Sabine is the white woman on the green bicycle, shocking local people with her carefree attitude and catching the eye of Williams himself. George and Sabine leave England for the Caribbean island of Trinidad in 1956, just as Eric Williams is forming a nationalist movement which will soon take Trinidad and Tobago out of British control and into the difficult first years of independence.

The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey