Reviewed by Maranda Moses

If The Girl with the Golden Shoes seems familiar to
readers of Colin Channer’s previous works, that’s
because it is. The original work first appeared as
a short story in his collection Passing Through. In
The Girl with the Golden Shoes, Channer does
more than just expand a short story into a novella;
he writes a clever, poignant and rhythmic piece of
literature that lingers long after the final page.

This Cinderellaesque tale takes place during the World War II era on the fictional island San Carlos, where its inhabitants speak a language called Sancoche. We’re introduced to Estrella Thompson, an adolescent girl who, already without parents, is ousted by her grandparents from the poor fishing village in which she has lived during her unfinished childhood. She is blamed for a mysterious fishing drought and is sent packing. The journey across the island with its mix of ethnic communities ranging from Carib, to Indian, to African descent, becomes a place of self-discovery for the girl.

Estrella, a feisty and clever protagonist, heads for a destination on the island called Seville, where she has big dreams of working and becoming more educated. However, she has a few encounters along the way; she not only struggles with the dynamic of male authority, but mistakes blazing lust from older men for genuine admiration and affection. Estrella eventually arrives at her destination, but not without learning some important life lessons about survival while on her journey. There are some other key highlights that make this work unforgettable. For instance, Channer has a keen talent for imagery and dialogue. The easy flowing lyricism of Caribbean vernacular is what helps these characters jump off the page. The language is smart, witty, and one of the major strengths of this story.

The real story behind Estrella’s disownment from the fishing village has more to do with class systems and the economic downturn of an already impoverished community. Note that as soon as the village discovers that Estrella has taught herself to read, they realize she is exposed to a new awareness about the world. She has already been abandoned once by her parents, so in some way, perhaps the banishment by her own grandparents and larger community is semi-preparedness for autonomy. She painfully comes to terms with effacing her family when she is proposed employment from a white man named St. William Rawle. Estrella cannot return to her grandparents or the very fishing trade with which they’re synonymous:

“You can cook?” he asked again, glancing at his dirty clothes.

“Anything you want. Except fish.”

In the afterword to The Girl with the Golden Shoes, renowned author Russell Banks refers to this story as a “nearly perfect moral fable.” Frankly, there is no better comparison. By the final denouement, the protagonist has transformed into a stronger, smarter, and much more self-possessed young woman, while still maintaining her sassiness. Banks expresses that Channer’s Caribbean literary peers, or predecessors, such as V.S. Naipaul or Derek Walcott, have never fluidly flowed from standardized English to “creolized-English” and back again in literature. Channer does make this seem effortless; however, perhaps Banks is a little over exuberant in his observation. In “Chapter VII” when Estrella decides to hitch a ride with a group of countrymen and women at the back of a truck driven by a man named Joseph, the dialogue in this chapter evokes the cantankerous neighbors in Naipaul’s Miguel Street. Austin Clarke and Andrea Levy are also part of the Caribbean Diaspora who have effectively executed this style.

It’s clear that Channer is a master of his craft. The novella he has produced is a powerful piece of literature, as the adventurous story and strong characters fill readers in much the same way a gratifying full-length novel would.