Book Review: Redemption in Indigo
Title: Redemption in Indigo
Author: Karen Lord
Genre: Speculative Fiction
Originally published: 2010
Publisher: Small Beer Press
Pages: 224
This read was for the 2012 Theme Park book club, February theme: Black Women Writing Speculative Fiction.
Karen Lord’s debut novel, which won the prestigious Frank Collymore Literary Prize in Barbados, is an intricately woven tale of adventure, magic, and the power of the human spirit.
Paama’s husband is a fool and a glutton. Bad enough that he followed her to her parents’ home in the village of Makende, now he’s disgraced himself by murdering livestock and stealing corn. When Paama leaves him for good, she attracts the attention of the undying ones-the djombi-who present her with a gift: the Chaos Stick, which allows her to manipulate the subtle forces of the world. Unfortunately, a wrathful djombi with indigo skin believes this power should be his and his alone.
Bursting with humor and rich in fantastic detail, Redemption in Indigo is a clever, contemporary fairy tale that introduces readers to a dynamic new voice in Caribbean literature. Lord’s world of spider tricksters and indigo immortals, inspired in part by a Senegalese folk tale, will feel instantly familiar-but Paama’s adventures are fresh, surprising, and utterly original.
Here's another book I'd been meaning to read since its release and it probably would have taken me a lot longer to get to if it hadn't been selected for the Theme Park book club (I need to remember this whenever I feel like I've taken up more than I can chew when it comes to reading challenges and book clubs this year... I am swamped but it's all worth it!). Karen Lord's debut novel has received and been nominated for a ridiculous number of awards (World Fantasy Award, Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature, William L. Crawford Award, among many others) but really let's face it, it's mainly Nalo Hopkinson's quote that made it a must-read for me: "The impish love child of Tutuola and García Márquez. Utterly delightful."
So of course I was one happy camper when this turned out to be selection for February! And I was not disappointed.
Karen Lord's novel relies strongly on both Caribbean and Senegalese folklore, both being inexhaustible resources for speculative fiction writers that are sadly too seldom tapped into. Redemption in Indigo tells the tale of one remarkable and yet ordinary woman, her encounter with djombi, which seem to be halfway between poltergeists and skin walkers, and the choices she is consequently faced with. This short and yet dense novel is written in an uncluttered style. I don't think it holds a word too many. It's subtle, sensible and unexpectedly humorous.
Much as in the oral tradition, the novel is as much about the characters and the plot than it is about the way it is recounted. In fact, the narrator soon becomes a character in his own right. I generally find it difficult to get into written stories when the narrator is too intrusive. For some reason, it feels a bit like I'm getting a glimpse at what's taking place behind the curtain. Note that I don't have that problem with oral stories for some reason but I've not often felt that it transcribed well in the written form. It can easily sound forced and awkward. Not here though, the story is constantly tainted by the narrator, his interruptions and explanations, the unheard comments from his audience who disagree or would like him to expand on certain points. It almost felt like a work in progress, demanding the intervention of the audience. And although the narrator does not necessarily enjoy these interruptions, he does take them into account. It's something that I've previously encountered in other forms, in speculative fiction works written by black women although it's clearly not a process limited to this demographic group. But back to the novel, the process makes the novel engaging, especially because the narrator has dry sense of humor.
I always try to do a bit of research before putting together a review, I read other reviews but most of all I read bit and pieces of the author's blog (if they have one) and also interviews. I feel like they give me a better sense of what tools the author drew upon to write his/her novel, what message they were trying to convey and it's always interesting to compare all this with my own personal impressions. I guess it's my background in research showing there. Anyway, I came upon this wonderful conversation between Karen Lord and Nalo Hopkinson that I found fascinating on many levels. It's about an hour long but at some point, while discussing oral tradition, the authors mention Paul Keens-Douglas whom I hadn't previously heard of but whose performances are hilarious (there are tons on youtube if you're curious). Anyway, Karen Lord quotes him as an influence and I could really see how absolutely amazing it would have been had Keens-Douglas narrated the audio edition of the novel. At any rate, I can see why the novel would make a great audio book anyway.
Despite the importance of the narrator, Paama's character remains central to the story. Her character could easily have been the fourth of Marie N'Diaye's Three Strong Women. Paama is indeed strong and not because of the Chaos Stick. Her strength and power reside in the fact that she's managed to remain true to herself and maintain her identity despite difficult circumstances. The appearance of the Chaos Stick and the Indigo Lord challenge that of course, but it's because of her inner strength and because she keeps on believing in the importance of choosing one's path, even when one has very limited power, that in the end she turns out to be wiser than a thousand year old supernatural creature.
The novel also holds a great many other secondary characters that I'd enjoy learning more about (I believe there was talks of a sequel at some point): the Trickster of course, but also the sisters and Patience. The novel's ending comes almost too soon and I don't want to spoil it but let's just say that when some writers would probably have taken the most evident route and turned the Indigo Lord into Paama's love interest, Karen Lord has other things in mind and it works that much better.
Redemption in Indigo is a delightful little gem filled with humor and colorful characters, that weaves in Caribbean and African folklore. You're never quite sure where Karen Lord is taking you but you'll come to trust her grumpy and sarcastic narrator.