Shani Mootoo was born in Ireland and grew up in Trinidad. Her writing has
appeared in many anthologies and her first collection of short fiction, was
published in 1993 to enthusiastic reviews. Mootoo is also a multimedia
visual artist and video-maker whose work has been exhibited
internationally. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, she has
confronted sex offenders with her personal story.
She is currently a contribution editor for CBC Radio's "This
Morning".
Mootoo presently divides her time between Vancouver and New York City.
About Cereus Blooms at Night:
Set on the
fictional island of Lantanacamara, Cereus Blooms at Night takes its
title from a rare, night flowering cactus whose scent can
transport you to ecstatic realms. The story of Mala, an
eccentric and reclusive old woman, is told by her gay nurse, Tyler.
As he
pieces together fragments of Mala's life, unforgettable characters
enter his
world and change it forever. Part magic realism, part psychological
drama, this haunting novel explores a world where love and treachery
collide.
Harry, the son of a widowed maid, and Rose, the daughter of his mother’s well-to-do employer, are inseparable as children, having formed a connection that knows nothing of race or class or the hierarchies that define island society. But the friendship is severed one night during World War II, after American troops have occupied Guanagaspar. An air raid has brought on an emergency curfew that prevents Harry and his mother from returning home. The frightened children have innocently fallen asleep together and when Rose’s father arrives to find them sleeping in the same bed, Harry and his mother are banned from the house forever. It is a wrenching apart that awakens Harry to the harsh realities of social difference and drives him to eventually leave the island. When, years later, Harry and Rose cross paths again in Vancouver, Harry has dared to reinvent himself and the gulf separating them is not so apparent. He and Rose have a life-affirming affair that is an awakening for her and a form of retribution for Harry. From this liaison a climactic series of events is set in motion as Rose takes it upon herself to reroute their destinies.
He Drown She in the Sea is a love story, a story of one man’s ambition, failures, and triumphs, and an exploration of the origins of desire. It is a lyrical, sensuous, and suspenseful story about the danger of love against all odds and the sacrifice and euphoria that come with defying the life one is born
