The Lost Love Songs of Boysie Singh: From the Winner of the Costa First Novel Award
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By Ingrid Persaud
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1 review
LONGLISTED FOR THE DIVERSE BOOK AWARDS
FROM THE WINNER OF THE INDIE BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION 2021
‘With Ingrid Persaud’s, assured, wizened and brilliant hand at the pen, these women become vitally, thrillingly, and unforgettably alive.’ MARLON JAMES
‘A voice that has a vibrancy of its own.’ RACHEL JOYCE
‘A talented and engaging storyteller.’ Sunday Times
‘Persaud has a knack for finding the sublime in the ordinary.’ SARA COLLINS, Guardian
From the award-winning author of Love After Love, comes an epic of wonder, danger and risk.
Popo is brilliant, vulnerable and stuck – but despite those who want to own her, she is determined to free herself from the traps of her past, whatever the cost. Mana Lala is equally as focussed on her little boy who connects her to the man she loves, and she will do anything to keep them both close. For Doris, life is an opportunity she will grab with all her might – hers is another iron will constrained by the truths of being a woman in 1930s Trinidad. And then there is Rosie, pouring her soul into her business, her lover Etty and her store.
Four brave and brilliant women, connected and controlled by one man, and a world that puts all power to his elbow. This is their story, and for some of them, it is all that is left.
Readers adored Lost Love Songs:
‘Amazing! I couldn’t put the book down. The characters were so real, and the story flowed. A must read.‘⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
’Vibrant and vividly written, I loved every minute of it.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This book has touched me on so many levels . . . a compelling read, eloquently written, entertaining, with depth and breadth. Highly recommended!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Reviews
From the title you might assume this is another of those light-hearted, whimsical stories about a man on an epic journey to find his lost sweetheart. But in fact this is an extremely dark, gritty tale in which the author imagines the lives of four women intertwined with real-life gangster Boysie Singh, aka the Rajah, who terrorised Trinidad in the 1940s and 50s: Popo, Boysie's girlfriend and business partner; Mana Lala, his childhood sweetheart and the mother of his child; Doris, his devout trophy wife; and Rosie, a childhood friend who becomes Boysie's client then turns against him.
The author allows the four women to tell their stories in the first person; we never hear from Boysie. I listened to the book on Audible, which I would really recommend, as the different readers bring the vivid, crackling language to life. The author creates a wonderful sense of time and place. I did occasionally wonder if the female characters behaved in a way that seemed too modern, as when Doris discussed her periods with Boysie.
Although I admire the book, I did not entirely enjoy it. Being immersed in Boysie's world of cruelty and violence was an uncomfortable experience. But I am glad I read it, as I learned a lot about another country and time.
