Margaret Cezair-Thompson

Swashes, unbuckled

The central character of The Pirate’s Daughter is not the young wench for whom the book is named, but the island of Jamaica itself. Margaret Cezair-Thompson captures its full richness and complexity as the country emerges from British rule and fitfully strives to find its own way.

Pirate's tells the tale of luscious 13-year-old Ida, a mixed-race Jamaican nymph who falls in love with fortysomething matinee idol and philandering cad Errol Flynn.

After Ida’s seduction, Flynn quickly loses interest. (Ida, the child, is with child.) At this point, the saga unfortunately shifts from an intriguing tale of struggle and survival to a more formulaic plot seemingly lifted from one of Flynn’s own movies—and filled with some good-ole-fashioned ganja, reggae and sex, for good measure.

Still, readers not put off by unrealized characters and an often-melodramatic plot will enjoy this novel’s exploration of a half century of Jamaican life and politics.