True Talks

Ian Menzies is flying down to Trinidad following the death of his father-in-law, Dr.Morton Badri. This is the story of what happens while he is there: the sadness and the hilarity that abounds when Trinidadians gather together to honor and bury one of their own: the simple sincerity of a country wake; how to plan a funeral and what can go wrong even in the best of circles, whether at the church service or, unfortunately, at the side of the grave. Not least, there is the reading of the Will to be taken into account, with its expectations, its chaos and its recriminations. There is even the case of the competing funerals. But this is also a love story: Menzies' love for his wife, Sasha; for the inordinately large, complicated, and often exasperating, family into which he has married; and, not least of all, his affection for the beautiful, unique and occasionally perplexing island of Trinidad itself. Keith Chater lived in Trinidad for several years, teaching there at Hillview College, in Tunapuna. He is married to a Trinidadian- Canadian of East Indian descent. Born in England, he was educated both there and in Canada, where he earned a Ph.D at Queen's University. This is his seventh book, all of which were written after a long and varied career in teaching, both at the high school and university levels, and in banking where he was first a bank manager and, finally, a learning consultant. The novel is dedicated to his wife of almost sixty years and is a celebration of all things Trinidadian.